Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor believes that Liverpool will manage to retain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
New deal for Wijnaldum?
The 30-year-old’s future at Anfield has been uncertain for some time and his contract is due to expire in the summer.
Since arriving at the club from Newcastle in 2016, Wijnaldum has played a huge part in the Reds’ recent success, scoring 21 goals and providing 16 assists from 211 appearances (TransferMarkt), two of those coming in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona where he etched himself into Anfield folklore.
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Even with contract talks at a standstill, Agbonlahor is optimistic that a deal can still be struck between the two parties.
“He’s a massive player for Liverpool,” he told Football Insider. “I’m sure when Klopp finally speaks to them [the owners] they’ll agree because Klopp’s done such a great job there and he does such a great job for the team.
“But then I do understand the club. I think Wijnaldum is a great player (but) if he’s asking for the same money as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane I don’t think it is the right amount of money to give him.
“He’s a great player but he’s not on the same level as Salah and Mane.”
Transfer Tavern Verdict
Agbonlahor is spot on – Wijnaldum is a crucial part of Klopp’s setup and should be retained at all costs, having played over 30 league games in every full season on Merseyside so far (Whoscored). Equally so, he should not expect to be paid like some of the top earners at the club.
Currently, the Holland international takes home £75k-per-week, whereas Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara both earn in the region of £200k-per-week (Spotrac).
It will be interesting to see if the Reds can get this deal over the line. It would be a massive boost for Liverpool after their recent slump.
In other news, talkSPORT journalist confirms Liverpool interest in 6 ft 3 centre-back.
