Captain Memphis Depay of Olympique Lyon in action during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyon at Parc des Princes on December 13, 2020 in Paris, France.
Barcelona reportedly face competition from Serie A clubs Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan in the race to sign Memphis Depay.
According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are facing competition from Serie A clubs AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan in their pursuit for Memphis Depay’s signature. Depay has previously played under Barcelona manager, Ronald Koeman, for Netherlands and both parties seem interested in making a reunion happen at Camp Nou.
Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan are all keen on signing Depay, who has just 6 months left on his current contract with Lyon. With these clubs in a prospective three-horse race for the Scudetto, business in the January transfer window could be key ahead of an exciting showdown.
Since flopping under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, Depay has earned plaudits for his performances in the Ligue 1 for Lyon. From the time he joined the Ligue 1 club in 2017, Depay has 53 goals and 37 assists in just 120 matches – a phenomenal record for the Dutchman, who has made a name for himself across Europe.
Not only has Depay proven himself in Ligue 1, he has also notched up goals and assists in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League, with his role in Lyon’s run in the 2019/20 Champions League the most impressive of them all. Depay has now entered the last 6 months of his contract with the club, and his situation has alerted Barcelona as well as the aforementioned Serie A trio.
However, with Lyon at the top of Ligue 1, three points ahead of rivals Paris Saint-Germain, Depay could be tempted to stay with Les Gones till the summer and then moving for free to a preferred location. As far as Barcelona are concerned, with Lionel Messi at a crossroads, signing Depay in the summer would be sensible in the situation where the Argentine would leave the Blaugrana.
Given Barcelona’s bleak financial status, the Catalan club would not mind waiting till the summer window and snap him up for free. However, Barcelona would be keen on signing a pre-contract with the Dutch star in order to protect him from being targeted by other clubs.
As per the report, several Serie A clubs, too, are interested in the signature of Depay. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling with injuries and fitness, Depay would make a shrewd addition to the AC Milan front-line.
As for Inter Milan, they, too, have been linked with a move for Depay due to Lautaro Martinez’ future being unclear at the moment, amid interest from Barcelona and others. Juventus are a part of this list as well, although the move does not entirely make sense for the Bianconeri, who seem rather stacked in attack.
With the January Transfer Window now open, Ronald Koeman has expressed his desire to work with his countryman yet again and this deal has been a part of frequent discussions with the board. Depay is a versatile forward who can play as an out-and-out striker or even as a left-winger and could be a good fit alongside Antoine Griezmann in a front two for Barcelona, which would also allow Griezmann to excel in his game.
Depay has revealed that he is considering the option of staying back at Lyon till the end of the season. What now remains to be seen is if the Serie A trio make a move for Depay this month, or if he remains with Lyon till the summer, thereby possibly handing Barcelona an advantage in his pursuit.
