The former Barcelona manager failed to bring the Dutchman to Camp Nou.
Ronald Koeman has criticised Barcelona president Joan Laporta for slowing down an attempt to sign Georginio Wijnaldum.
The former Liverpool star came close to joining Barcelona last summer but eventually decided to join Paris Saint-Germain.
He was among Koeman’s main targets in his last transfer window in charge of Barcelona. The Dutch manager has now blamed Laporta for his delayed attempt to sign Wijnaldum.
“I tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barca, but I failed because the president wanted to play with me more than bring in a player,” Koeman told Dutch newspaper AD.
“That delayed the operation, and for that reason, he opted for PSG. Otherwise, he would have played for Barcelona.”
Laporta went on to sack Koeman before he entered his 15th month in charge of the Blaugrana. A sensational move then saw the Catalans hire another club legend, Xavi Hernandez, as their new manager.
Koeman can, however, work again with Wijnaldum as he is set for a second managerial spell at Netherlands. The Oranje will go into the next World Cup under Louis van Gaal, before re-appointing Koeman after the tournament.
Van Gaal’s side meet Poland and Belgium in their final friendly matches ahead of the Qatar games.
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