Pundit highlights ‘key’ talks taking place to resolve growing Liverpool issue
Liverpool will be keen to make sure they get the length of Georginio Wijnaldum’s contract extension exactly right before agreeing terms with the midfielder, according to one pundit.
Wijnaldum, who moved to Anfield from Newcastle in 2016, has become one of Jurgen Klopp‘s key players and the Dutchman is a regular feature for the Reds.
Indeed, key influences on the team include three goals in Champions League knockout ties, two of which helped send Liverpool to the final in 2018.
However, the 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and while he is not expected to be moved on by Klopp, Danny Mills has claimed that negotiations between the club and player will be tough.
“A lot of clubs do not want to give more than one-year deals when a player gets to that sort of age,” Mills told Football Insider.
“He will be thinking he deserves at least a couple of years after winning the Champions League and the Premier League.
“There will be some negotiations to be had about how long it is more than anything else. That could well be the key.
“It is a bit of cat and mouse. A game of poker but everybody has a price. Hopefully, they can meet in the middle somewhere.”
Wijnaldum has an excellent goalscoring record for his country, scoring eight goals from an advanced midfield position to help the Netherlands qualify for the European Championships.
However, the player revealed how he has become more complete after adapting to Klopp’s instructions to play in a deeper role.
Wijnaldum said: “My development since I came to Liverpool has been good,” them midfielder said. “I have become more of an all-round player.
“I was used to playing in a very attacking role and only in attack. Since the World Cup [in 2014] with [then Holland boss Louis] van Gaal, I have had a more controlling role in midfield and that went well.
“After that, I didn’t play that role again, at PSV or Newcastle. When I spoke with Klopp, he saw me in a more defensive role, where I needed to be an all-rounder.”
In other news, Liverpool are reportedly braced for an offer from Sevilla for Xherdan Shaqiri after giving the two-time Champions League winner the green light to find a new club at the end of the season.
Switzerland international Shaqiri has largely been a fringe player in his time at Anfield and was heavily linked with Roma in the January transfer window.