Liverpool Midfielder Urges Netherlands Teammate to Stay Put Amid Barcelona Speculation

Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has urged fellow Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong to stay put at Ajax for now amid speculation over his future.

Tottenham and Barcelona have been heavily linked with the 21-year-old playmaker recently, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that a £45m offer for the player has been rejected.

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But Wijnaldum, who has started every Premier League game this season for the Reds, has warned that such a move could be a mistake.

“He is doing very well now, but we have often had Dutch players who first played very well, but later became less,” he told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. “Often it is said: he can do this and that he can become so good. Frenkie is 21 years old, anything can happen.

“Maybe he also gets a lesser period if he switches abroad, you also have to look at how that will work out. For now it is good. We hope as a team and actually as the whole of the Netherlands that he will continue to develop.”

During the game against France, Liverpool's Wijnaldum played in a more advanced role with De Jong behind him in a more defensive role and the 27-year-old believes the midfield protege is a player Netherlands can utilise.

He added: "Frenkie makes it easier for us by the way he plays football. He plays daring. Frenkie can play a man in the back, thus releasing other boys between the lines. He sometimes takes some risks, but his bold way of playing is what we need."

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The Reds enforcer insisted that he wasn't surprised by the midfielder's confidence and that De Jong was someone who fits in well with the system. 

He said: "I'm not surprised. A lot has been written about him lately, so I've been watching how he plays at Ajax. He did exactly the same on the training with us. His way of playing football fits very well with our game.''