Barcelona target will pressure his club to leave this January.
Barcelona’s dance with Memphis Depay continues as the player tries to force his way out of Lyon before his contract ends. The Dutch player was voted to be the most likely transfer for Barcelona as he was cheap and his versatility allows him to play as a winger and as a number 9. Depay was also Ronald Koeman’s first choice as he used to play Depay as a number 9 in the Dutch national team. However, the transfer did not go through due to certain complications and as a result, Depay still remains in the Ligue 1.
The 26-year-old has not given up on his Barca dream though and he can still play a crucial role in making sure that the deal goes through. Depay had already accepted the club’s current financial situation and was willing to take less pay in the initial few months in order to cooperate with the club’s board members. The Catalan side needs to reduce player wages with immediate effect if they do not want to go bankrupt.
Depay has also shown his willingness to reunite with his former National team coach who believes that the winger can play as a number 9 if given the role. Koeman said in an interview with MD, “With me on the team he always played ‘9’”. The player in fact would have already been at the club had it not been for Ousmane Dembele. The French International spoilt the transfer by not accepting a move to Manchester United. The idea was to pay for Depay by using the money made in the Dembele transfer but that never happened in the end.
When Depay was asked about his thoughts on the situation, he gave out subtle hints but mostly maintained a diplomatic stance. In a post-match interview, the winger said,
“Who wouldn’t want to play there? He’s one of the best teams in the world. Everyone would like it, but I’m not thinking about it,”
“On Barca, I don’t know. The transfer market is not open. I don’t have my head on that. I’m trying to do my best, to do good performances to become a better player. There’s a lot of speculation about it.”
Although it seems as if the player is taking a neutral stand, he is in fact pushing for the move. His contract ends in 2021 and he has not renewed it yet in hopes of the transfer however, he is getting impatient and is wishing for a transfer in January. With the Winter window less than one and half months away, Barca must muster up a sum of 30 million euros as that is the price tag for Depay or otherwise, they can just wait out till the end of the season which will be the smarter option.
Will Depay bring positive change to Barca’s attack?
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