Memphis Depay has been one of the forgotten men at Manchester United. Barely getting a look into the first-team under Jose Mourinho, he is widely expected to leave the club in January. While it was initially thought that a permanent move was on the cards, it is now increasingly likely that he will leave the club on a loan deal. Marseille have been rumoured to be the club interested in Depay along with the likes of Fenerbahce and AC Milan. Latest reports from L’Equipe claims that Depay, who is rated at €45.5 Million by the CIES Football Observatory, may not be interested in a move to Marseille, or indeed French football.
It is believed that the player is very keen on staying in the Premier League, as he sees it as the best league in the world. Competition in France has been very one-sided over the last couple of years after the arrival of Arab owners to Paris St Germain. Struggling mid-table in the French Ligue 1, Marseille are currently under the management of Rudi Garcia. Even though he is not getting much of a game time at United, Depay appears to have been used to life at the top echelons.
Marseille have been struggling heavily to get any sort of consistency into the results for the last few years. The last time the club finished in the top three was back in the 2012-13 season. Since then, they have been going down the hill quite rapidly. After the 13th and 12th place finishes in the last two campaigns, the club are not too well in this season under Garcia. The club may not be shining in the Ligue One, but Garcia has managed to get the best out of wingers in the past.
Chelsea star Eden Hazard is one of the prominent names developed by Garcia. At just 22, Depay’s career is not done and dusted by any means. There is a significant possibility he could recover the form that transformed him into a £25 million buy for United.
Depay may find it difficult to get interest from the Premier League considering that he has not done too well in the league whenever given the opportunity. The former PSV Eindhoven star also appears to have made it clear that the French club may not be able to match his current wages. Currently on around £90,000 per week, Depay could expect a significant drop in his wages should he join Marseille. Even Premier League clubs may balk at this figure, but they are probably the only clubs who can come close at this moment.
José Mourinho has utilised Depay in just four substitute league appearances and they total no more than 20 minutes.
