Manchester United have rejected a second offer from French outfit Lyon for Memphis Depay and tt is understood that the new offer was around £13 million for a permanent transfer, as per the reports from Telegraph. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently claimed that the club’s main priority in this January transfer window was to secure the signing of Depay. However, it looks highly unlikely that Lyon will be able to make a move for the player without significantly increasing their offer.

After having brought him from PSV Eindhoven for £25 million, it is clear that United are looking to recoup most of the transfer fee. The club recently secured much of their outlay on Morgan Schneiderlin after the Frenchman moved to Everton, and the Red Devils will have reasons to think that they can a similar outcome is possible with Depay’s transfer as well. The Telegraph also reports that United are ready to accept a base fee of £17.5 million, which can then be closer towards £21 million depending on future performances of the player.

Given that there is a significant disparity between Lyon’s latest offer and United’s valuation of the player, it now looks highly unlikely that the deal may be concluded with just under two weeks left in the transfer window.

Depay arrived at United with a lot of hype and it is clear that he has found life in a big club extremely difficult to deal with. The Dutchman clearly has a lot of talent, but he has been unable to translate that into performances on the pitch. Depay was seen as a player capable of hitting the same heights as Ronaldo under the guidance of Louis van Gaal. After all, the Dutch boss had groomed several youngsters into world-class players in his managerial career. Yet, it was not to be, as Depay lost his place at United even when Van Gaal was the manager.

Allowing Depay to leave the club in the January window may allow United to bring in new players into the squad. The club has been linked with a couple of midfielders of late with Atalanta’s Franck Kessie and Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko being among the key transfer targets. Both players are expected to cost in excess of £24 million. After having spent more than £150 million, Manchester United may be expected to balance the books by selling some of the players. Even though the club are under intense pressure to return to title-winning ways, they cannot afford to spend beyond their means.

United are likely to see clubs continue their interest in Depay. Apart from Lyon, the midfielder has been linked heavily with Italian Serie A Giants AC Milan.