Paris Saint-Germain flop Georginio Wijnaldum is reportedly one step away from joining Roma on a season-long loan with an option to buy. As per Gazzetta dello Sport, the Netherlands international has accepted to give a part of his salary to facilitate his switch to Serie A.
After establishing himself as a senior star at Liverpool, Wijnaldum moved to Paris last summer. But things have not gone his way at the Parc des Princes. He has found himself low in the pecking order and out of Christophe Galtier’s plans for next season.
With the Netherlands set to compete at the Qatar World Cup, the 31-year-old midfielder wants his piece of the pie. In order to regain his place in the national team, he needs regular first-team action. That is where Roma come into play.
Jose Mourinho holds Wijnaldum in high esteem. He has already informed the Giallorossi chiefs he hopes to have the Dutch star in his ranks by next week. Talks between the sides have been underway for weeks. Yet, the breakthrough has arrived in recent hours.
Wijnaldum agreed to reduce his salary, which currently earns him around €9m a year. On top of that, Roma would only be paying a part of his wages next season. Per reports, the Italians will have to fork out around €4m to satisfy the player’s needs. PSG should take of the rest.
If he meets the expectations, Roma will be able to make his move permanent come next summer. And if everything goes according to plan, Mourinho should welcome his new addition by the time his side come back from Israel.
Roma are currently in Haifa, where they will take on Mourinho’s former employers, Tottenham Hotspur, in a mouth-watering pre-season friendly. An exciting match-up at the Sammy Ofer Stadium takes place on Saturday evening.
After that, Roma will head back to Italy to continue their pre-season preparations. In addition to Wijnaldum, Mourinho is assessing the prospect of signing ex-Torino striker Andrea Belotti on a free transfer.