Georginio Wijnaldum has put pen to paper on a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona, according to reports.
The Liverpool midfielder has long been linked with a move to the Camp Nou and he now appears to have put the finishing touches to the free transfer.
Wijnaldum’s deal at Anfield runs until June 30 and he has been free to discuss his future with non-Premier League clubs since the turn of the year.
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is keen to be reunited with a player he managed during his time in charge of the Netherlands national team.
And the Catalan giants seem to have got their man, with The Times stating that Wijnaldum has now signed an agreement with Barcelona.
The 30-year-old will become the first signing of Joan Laporta’s second spell as the Blaugrana’s president.
Laporta, who served in the position between 2003 and 2010, won an election to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu earlier this month.
Barcelona put their transfer business on hold until the outcome of the election, with Laporta’s success allowing them to push on with their recruitment plans.
There has been no official announcement yet, but Wijnaldum’s time at Liverpool seems to be nearing an end.
That is in spite of the Dutchman’s recent admission that he would be “devastated” to leave the Reds.
“I would like to come with news, but the only thing I can say is that I’m really happy with the club, really happy with the team, the staff, and really happy with the fans I play for,” he said last week.
“That’s the only thing I can say; it’s not that I’m not happy and I have to leave or anything like that. But it’s not as easy as everyone thinks it is to make decisions for your future.
“You have to think about everything, first you have to negotiate with the club and those kind of things. It’s so difficult to deal with it all. That’s why it takes so long.
“But we know with the situation we are in right now, it is not the most important thing.
“The most important thing is to get back on track, start winning games again and then we will see. I am really happy here, my family is happy, but besides that there is no news.”
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