Lyon captain Memphis Depay is desperate to join Barcelona and will try to force through a move in the January transfer window.
The Dutchman emerged as a preferred transfer target for the Catalans in the summer following the arrival of Ronald Koeman as manager and the departure of Luis Suarez.
Barcelona are looking for a replacement for Luis Suarez/Socrate Images/Getty Images
Depay had agreed to reunite with former Netherlands boss Koeman in Catalonia, but the move collapsed at the 11th hour after Barcelona failed to get the likes of Ousmane Dembele off their books to fund a switch. I failed.
However, at some point a transfer appears inevitable and although Lyon president Jean-Michel Olles has said his captain will not be sold before his contract expires next summer, Mundo Deportivo reported. Depay is keen to join La Blaugrana in the winter and will do basically anything to force through a move.
This included taking a low salary in his first season amid Barcelona’s financial woes and convincing Aulas to let him leave.
It is understood that Lyon’s president will demand a bigger chunk of the €30m they demanded for the Dutchman in the summer, with Barcelona likely to switch off even if the move is on a tear. He is now looking to strengthen his performance due to a prolonged injury. Attack options in January.
Ansu Fati faces four-month layoff / Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Despite making his ambitions clear, Depay responded diplomatically when asked about Barcelona after the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Spain on Wednesday night, saying: “Who wouldn’t want to play there? ?It’s one of the best teams in the world. Everyone would love to, but I’m not thinking about it.
“About Barca, I don’t know. The transfer market is not open. I don’t have a head on it. I’m doing my best, perform well to be a better player. There’s a lot of speculation about that. have been.”