GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM insisted that he did not move to Paris Saint-Germain for the money because of Barcelona.
The Dutchman revealed that the French giants were “faster” and “more determined” than the La Liga side.
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Gini Wijnaldum is preparing for Euro 2020Photo credit: Getty
Wijnaldum decided to leave Liverpool after his contract expired after five successful seasons on Anfield.
And after weeks of speculation, he chose the Parc des Princes as his next destination.
Commenting on his election, he said: “We negotiated with Barcelona for weeks.
“But the club hadn’t quite taken the step and Paris Saint-Germain showed up and was quicker and more determined.”
Wijnaldum, 30, admitted it was a tough decision.
He added: “It was a tough decision.
“These are two great clubs and I wish I could have played in both. But I’m happy with my decision.”
The start of the summer with his future in the air was stressful for the Dutchman, who is happy to have sewn his transfer before Euro 2020.
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He added that he had “had intense weeks with many things happening”.
Wijnaldum had previously given a cryptic answer as to why he had decided against extending his contract with Liverpool.
He said, “There is a problem when people look at the situation from the outside and don’t understand it.
“A lot of fans have asked me why I didn’t just accept Liverpool’s offer to renew my contract.
Things happen behind the scenes that you as a player have no control over
Gini Wijnaldum on leaving Liverpool
“But of course that’s not the only factor. There is much more to it.
“Things happen behind the scenes that you have no control over as a player.
“I will put them out to the public after the European Championship because at the moment the only thing that matters is playing for Holland.”
The Netherlands will start their campaign against Ukraine tomorrow – Dutch skipper Wijnaldum will only play his second tournament – despite having won 75 international matches.
Wijnaldum was in every game on the way to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup before the Dutch found themselves in the wild and failed to qualify for the 2016 Euro or Russia in 2018.
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Wijnaldum left the Reds after five successful yearsImage credit: AFP
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