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Football

22nd Jul 2016

Liverpool have been scouting Georginio Wijnaldum for a very long time

Robert Redmond

Georginio Wijnaldum has signed for Liverpool.

The Dutch midfielder joined the club from Newcastle United for £25m, and the 25-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Anfield.

Liverpool’s interest in Wijnaldum, who scored 11 goals for the Magpies last season as the side were relegated from the Premier League, appeared to have just materialised over the past week or so.

In comparison to Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who has been linked with a move to Jurgen Klopp’s side for the past few months, but no deal has come to fruition.

However, according to Dirk Kuyt, the Reds have been a fan of Wijnaldum for a number of years.

“(It is) a wonderful transfer for Gini. The best compliment for him was that his name in my time at Liverpool buzzed inside the club,” the former Liverpool player told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“He was watched by the scouts already in his youth days at Feyenoord as a very great talent. When I played for Liverpool, I heard them frequently say that he would be a wonderful asset one day.

“He eventually ended up at PSV and Newcastle, before moving to Anfield. He is now at a top club in England and he’ll be at home.”

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