Journalist Duncan Castles has revealed that Georginio Wijnaldum will be joining Barcelona ahead of next season. 

The Dutch international joined the Reds during the summer of 2016 and has gone on to secure domestic and continental success with Liverpool

But after spending nearly five years on Merseyside, Castles has reported that Wijnaldum is set to embark on a new adventure with Ronald Koeman's Barcelona. 

What did Castles say?

Discussing the midfielder on the Transfer Window Podcast, the journalist said this about Wijnaldum's future. 

"The information that I have from Barcelona is that the deal is now agreed," Castles said about the Liverpool midfielder's move to Camp Nou. 

"He has signed a pre-contract with the club and will be a Barcelona player in the summer."

How will this affect Liverpool?

Losing the 70-cap international may be quite a shock to the system for Jurgen Klopp's side, as the Reds have been fairly reliant on the midfielder this season. 

According to WhoScored, only Andy Robertson has played more minutes than Wijnaldum, with the midfielder making 29 appearances in all. 

Why the move to Barcelona?

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Question marks have surrounded Wijnaldum's future on Merseyside for the past year, as Barcelona previously attempted to lure the 30-year-old to Camp Nou. 

According to Castles, the Catalonians tried to sign the midfielder last summer and fellow Dutchman Koeman made Wijnaldum one of his top priorities before taking the job.

However, the two clubs failed to reach an agreement, as Barcelona didn't provide the transfer fee that Liverpool were ultimately looking for. Nevertheless, it now appears that both Koeman and Barcelona have finally secured their target. 

How has Wijnaldum performed this season?

Despite featuring prominently this season, the soon-to-be Barcelona signing has struggled to reach the heights of previous seasons. 

This year, Wijnaldum has achieved a WhoScored average rating of 6.64 and, worryingly, 13 players have managed to earn a higher rating than the midfielder. 

Furthermore, the midfielder would sit in 17th for average ratings in the Barcelona squad.

Therefore, he will need to significantly improve his current form if he wants to make a mark in Koeman's squad.