Ex Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum was on the verge of joining Barcelona before moving to Paris Saint-Germain
The Netherlands international spent five years on Merseyside between 2016 and 2021 before leaving when his contract expired last year. He was not short of suitors but ultimately decided to move to France on a free transfer.
Wijnaldum's situation at the Parc des Princes has not been resolved as he has fallen out of favour and was often limited to the bench last season. Joining Roma in the Serie A team for a season this season, he faces another new challenge. It also didn't go as planned, with a training ground injury diagnosed as a fractured tibia in August, shortly after his arrival.
Maybe things could've be different for the Dutchman. Ronald Koeman who was in charge as the Barcelona's manager then has revealed how he tried to lure the Dutchman to the Nou Camp and explained how the deal fell through.
"I tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barcelona," Koeman, who was sacked by the La Liga club last October, told Dutch media AD.
"But I failed because the president (Joan Laporta) wanted to annoy me with more than just bringing in a player. It delayed the operation, which is why he chose Paris Saint-Germain. Otherwise he would have played for Barcelona. "
Speaking for the first time since his injury earlier this week, Wijnaldum shared the latest news via his own social media platform. He spoke about the grief he's felt over the past few weeks as he deals with the injury, and thanked fans for their messages of encouragement.
He said in a video:
“Since my injury I didn't respond or send a video out simply because I was really emotional and sad about the situation around my injury. “First of all I want to say sorry, second I can say that now I'm in a really good space with my rehab programme. I accept the situation as it is and that is why I can now give 100% in my rehab. Everything is going well."