Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano delivers latest on Gini Wijnaldum contract situation

Sky reporter Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Gini Wijnaldum's current contract situation is 'complicated' at Liverpool in an exclusive interview with Anfield Watch.

The Dutch midfielder is in the final months of his contract and with less than six months to go he is now free to enter pre-contract negotiations with clubs outside of England.

As yet, there's been no sign that that has happened with the Liverpool no.5 but it is clear that his future remains firmly up in the air.

Indeed, in an exclusive interview with Anfield Watch, Romano revealed that the former Newcastle United man is not yet happy with the terms he has been offered and no fresh contract offer has been tabled since December:

"I'm told that in the last few weeks the situation has gotten really, really complicated with Gini Wijnaldum," Romano explained.

"The last offer from Liverpool was in December and the player wasn't happy with it so he's seriously considering his future at the moment.

"He's really respectful of the club and of the fanbase and the people around the club. He loves Liverpool which is why he's not going to sign for a new club until he's told Liverpool what he's going to do.

"He's not made his final decision yet but it's really, really complicated so I think that's why Liverpool are planning to be ready in the summer in case he doesn't sign a new deal.

"He's not convinced about the economical part but also about what the project is going to be in the future and what his personal life and family want. It is really difficult at the moment but I think in February we will have a decision."

Certainly, it seems likely that we're getting towards the endgame with Wijnaldum and his future, though many Reds are bound to be keen to see him stay.

Indeed, on a personal level, Romano told Anfield Watch that he himself would love the player to stay at Anfield given his attributes and how well he fits in in L4:

"I love Wijnaldum, he's a fantastic player who has everything. He's a good runner, he's a fighter, he has good quality, he scores goals and he's a winner," enthused the Italian reporter.

"They need to try and convince him to stay but I'm also respectful of Liverpool's situation because we have to understand in this moment clubs are losing a lot of money which is an issue in terms of salaries and what they can offer.

"I'm sure if we weren't in this situation with the pandemic we wouldn't have this situation with Wijnaldum and he would have signed by now because they would have made a different offer. In this moment it's difficult to make a contract bid and a player might be tempted to move from one club to another as a free agent. When you move as a free agent you are receiving commission for your agent and for yourself and a new salary.

"But I'd love to see him stay with Liverpool because he's perfect for Klopp and his football too and when you move to Barcelona with a new president, a new team, you just don't know how you're going to do."

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

Time will ultimately tell with this situation but it does seem quite possible these last few months are the last we'll see of Wijnaldum in a red shirt.

He's a player with obvious quality and it would be a shame to lose him on a free but the Reds have a policy they clearly want to stick to and that is proving the issue here.

Romano thinks by February we could have an answer and so the next few weeks could well be decisive.

See some of our interview with Fabrizio here