Barcelona face stiff competition for Memphis Depay
Barcelona are not the only team chasing after Dutch forward.
It is no secret that manager Ronald Koeman would like Barcelona to sign a striker. It is also not a secret that the player he wants is Olympique Lyon’s Memphis Depay.
The club’s finances impeded them from signing Depay in the summer. He remains the top target for Koeman but something other than money may play a factor this time around.
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According to Sport, Italian sides Juventus and AS Roma are also interested in signing the Dutch player. With Depay’s contract ending soon, any team would be able to sign him on a free transfer come the summer.
Barcelona’s plan remains to try to sign him during the winter transfer window. That was the plan when the season started and has become more crucial given the injury to Ansu Fati.
However, their pursuit of Depay may have hit a snag if the words of Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, are to be believed. He has stated that Depay will stay at Lyon and not leave during the upcoming transfer window.
"“I was the first to say he would not go to Barcelona. Nobody listened to me during the transfer window because everybody thought he would leave.“From the start, I told you, they will not leave because in a year when we were unfairly deprived of European competition, we absolutely have to make a success of the season. So he will stay.”Source: AS"
Depay was disappointed that his move to Barcelona did not materialize. He is doing everything he can to make his move a reality.
According to Mundo Deportivo, he and the Catalan side have already agreed personal terms on a four-year contract. What’s more, because of the club’s financial situation, Depay has agreed to structure the deal so that his first-year wages are in line with Barcelona’s wage limitations.
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He is desperate to come and Koeman is desperate to have him. Barcelona are hoping his desire to come will exceed anything Roma or Juventus can offer. But some things have not changed. In order to sign him, Barcelona are first going to need to offload a number of players.