"I Want To Hug You But..." Footage Of Gini Wijnaldum's Conversation With Andy Robertson Has Hit Liverpool Fans Hard

Georginio Wijnaldum's brief but emotional exchange with teammate Andy Robertson ahead of the Netherlands' clash against Scotland has hit Liverpool fans hard.

The 30-year-old Dutch midfielder, who has spent five years at Anfield after joining from Newcastle in the summer of 2016, has chosen to leave Jurgen Klopp's side and join Spanish giants Barcelona, according to The Sunday Times.

Wijnaldum is out of the contract on July 1 and, after failing to agree terms with the Premier League side, he now looks all set to play under Ronald Koeman at the Camp Nou.

Image credit: PA

"As it looks right now, it is (goodbye). The club and I didn't agree to a new contract," he said last month ahead of Liverpool's final game of the season against Crystal Palace.

"If you look at the facts, from the first of July my contract is over."

The former Feyenoord and PSV midfielder has almost certainly played his last game for the Reds, although he did share the pitch with teammate Andy Robertson in a friendly earlier this week.

Ahead of kick-off, both players met at the half-way line to exchange pennants and, as they bumped into each other before the coin toss was about to take place, Wijnaldum was heard saying: "I want to hug you but..."

As you can see in the footage above, Robertson responds by saying: "I know, but we can't" because of COVID restrictions.

The Scotland international spoke about his admiration for Liverpool teammate Wijnaldum ahead of the clash at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal.

"The last time I saw him it was quite emotional," he told Sky Sports.

"Him saying goodbye to Anfield, Liverpool, his teammates, the people he's worked with for so many years, the fans. It was quite emotional after the game, so it would be good to speak to him.

"It's not looking likely that he's going to stay at Liverpool, I think that's pretty clear. He'll probably move on and it'll be good to talk to him.

Robertson continued, saying: "Liverpool's a bit like this Scotland squad, we're all close, we all get on really well. Me and Gini have been through it all, especially this season."

Topics: Liverpool, Gini Wijnaldum, Football, Premier League, Andy Robertson, Holland, Scotland, Euros

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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