Former England international John Barnes claims Liverpool “aren’t willing to offer” Georginio Wijnaldum a long-term deal now he’s turned 30.
The Netherlands international is out of contract at the end of this season with Liverpool and the midfielder yet to agree terms on a new deal.
Reports have claimed that Wijnaldum is demanding a new four-year deal worth €10m per season with his agents also looking for a large commission.
F365 says: Five touches of the old Liverpool amid the new
Other reports have indicated that a deal to sign with Barcelona is now ’95 per cent done’ despite Inter Milan also rumoured to be interested.
Barnes told BonusCodeBets: “Georginio Wijnaldum isn’t disagreeing with the club over money with his new contract, he’s looking for a longer-term deal. He’s now 30 years old so is thinking for himself and his family long-term.
“The contract disagreement isn’t anything personal between him and the club, it’s a player who is trying to look after his career and Liverpool will appreciate that, but if they aren’t willing to offer him a three or four-year deal, maybe another club in Europe will.
“When a player gets into his 30s, the club must think that he’s just above his prime, or in his prime but is about to leave his prime. If he demands a contract of a certain number of years, it means a club is paying a player a lot of money to not play that, when they could be spending their money on a 25-year-old, who may deserve that money.
“Liverpool might want him to stay, and he wants to stay at Liverpool, but the club must think about the future of the players and can’t offer a 30-year-old a four-year contract.”
On Fabinho returning to Liverpool’s midfield, Barnes added: “It was great to see Fabinho back playing in midfield against RB Leipzig and likewise with watching Nat Phillips perform so well. But these young defenders aren’t necessarily going to stop Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the Champions League or when you play the likes of Manchester City in the Premier League.
“It’s a tough decision for Jurgen Klopp to decide to play Nat Phillips every week and have Fabinho in midfield. In certain matches, Fabinho will be needed to play in defence and in other games, he will need to play in midfield, controlling the game from the middle.
“Jurgen Klopp won’t be able to fully trust the young centre backs in every game, because he’ll need his experienced players in the bigger matches, so the manager will have to decide on a game-by-game basis.”
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