Liverpool set to clinch deal worth £44.5m in fee and wages - report

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Published on:

22 Jul 2016, 1:17 am

By Alex Stevens

Georginio Wijnaldum is set to join the Liverpool squad in California this weekend after agreeing the terms of a £19.5million contract, according to a report.

The Mirror claim that Wijnaldum will be handed a five-year, £75,000 a week contract after his club Newcastle agreed a fee of £23million rising to £25million with add-ons.

The total cost of the package for Liverpool to sign the attacking midfielder is a staggering £44.5million.

Wijnaldum, 25, is due to undergo a medical on Friday and complete the formalities of the deal and he will then fly to the United States to join up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour.

Bar any late dramas, Wijnaldum should reach Liverpool's Palo Alto training base by Sunday evening, which will allow him four days of acclimatisation before his likely debut against Chelsea.

Liverpool are due to play their Premier League rivals in the International Champions Cup in Pasadena next Thursday.

They also play AC Milan and Roma in the States in that competition, before returning to England to face Barcelona at Wembley on August 6.

The transfer would take the Merseysiders' summer spending beyond the £70million mark as Wijnaldum becomes the club's second £20-million plus 2016 deal following the £36million capture of Sadio Mane.

Wijnaldum moved to Tyneside last summer from PSV Eindhoven in a £14.5million deal, and quickly became the driving force behind the Magpies' survival hopes.

Wijnaldum bagged 11 goals and five assists in 40 games in all competitions last season and was also the subject of interest from Tottenham and Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton.

But Jurgen Klopp is on the brink of landing his sixth summer signing as he continues his overhaul of the playing squad.

Klopp has already signed goalkeeper Loris Karius, defenders Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip, forward Sadio Mane and midfielder Marko Grujic this summer.

In other Liverpool transfer news, Lucas Leiva could be offered the captaincy by Newcastle to persuade him to drop down to the Championship.

Liverpool FC

Newcastle United

Georginio Wijnaldum