Paris Saint-Germain claimed victory over FC Barcelona for the second time this year as it signed Georginio Wijnaldum to a multiyear free transfer deal.
Barca was tabbed by many as the favorites to sign Wijnaldum, but PSG’s late pitch to the midfielder wound up convincing him to join the Ligue 1 giants instead.
Barca president Joan Laporta had a grand aim at hauling in the Dutch talent, which would have been the club’s fourth free transfer signing of the month.
In speaking to the Spanish-based outlet La Vanguardia, Laporta reflected on this mini-transfer saga, where he singled out PSG’s more lucrative offer to Wijnaldum as the key reason why the Catalan club failed to sign him.
“It is a question that will have to be analyzed,” Laporta said. “We look at a player, we worked with him and a club comes, pays double, and takes him. The player, especially at a certain age, values the salary before being in a club with projection.”
It sure will be interesting to see if both Barca and PSG engage in another transfer battle later this year.
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