Report: Newcastle produced rogue team-sheet to force Liverpool into £25m Wijnaldum bid

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Well here’s an interesting update to the Georginio Wijnaldum transfer saga!

The Newcastle Chronicle are speculating whether or not the Magpies tempted Liverpool into getting serious about our interest by naming the Dutchman on their bench last night – having previously left him off the original team-sheet.

The club claimed an admin error, but it seems strange that the Dutchman, currently one of the country’s most spoken about footballers, could have simply been forgotten by Rafa Benitez…

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The Chronicle suggests that by putting Wijnaldum on the substitutes’ bench, last minute, the Toon were forcing our hand; either pay what we ask, or he won’t be signing in the coming days…

Liverpool are now in America on the pre-season tour, and after having a £25m bid accepted last night, Wijnaldum will head stateside, undergo a medical and complete his transfer.

As the Chronicle states, when a big deal such as this is in the pipeline, players are not usually included in match-day squads, so the fact Newcastle brought Wijnaldum into theirs for the 2-2 draw with Doncaster – knowing Liverpool were flying out in the middle of last night – suggests strategy and not accident.

The report says that Newcastle were becoming irritated by our delaying tactics, and successfully called our bluff. There was never any plan to actually use Wijnaldum from the bench – it was a warning move.

If this was their plan, Liverpool bit, and bit quickly!

Either way, the deal suits both parties and Jurgen Klopp will be happy to have the 25-year-old for the duration of the American Tour. £25m seems expensive, but Liverpool have already recouped nearly £30m from Martin Skrtel, Jordon Ibe, Sergi Canos and Jerome Sinclair and look to collect an extra £13m from the Joe Allen sale – so it’s hardly a seismic fee – all things considered.

Hopefully Wijnaldum will have similar success to anothe players Benitez sold us: Daniel Sturridge.

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