Aheed Abrar
Memphis Depay demands free transfer from Barcelona in January; Manchester United ‘monitoring’ situation
Barcelona forward Memphis Depay is demanding a free transfer in January from the Camp Nou side, with Manchester United keeping an eye on the forward’s situation.
The Holland international wants to leave the Catalan giants in the winter window. He has no intention of extending his contract, which expires in the summer of 2023, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Express).
Depay joined Barcelona in the summer of 2021 as a free agent from Olympique Lyon. And the forward hopes the Blaugrana reciprocate that goodwill and allow him to leave in January without a transfer fee being paid.
According to Sport (h/t Manchester Evening News), the Old Trafford side are ‘monitoring’ the 28-year-old. And the club are looking to re-sign the Holland international. Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in him.
Depay previously joined United in the summer of 2015 from PSV Eindhoven. Unfortunately, his time in Manchester was not fruitful. And after a season-and-a-half with the Red Devils, the 28-year-old made his way to Ligue 1.
With Lyon, the Holland international was able to revive his reputation. He enjoyed some fruitful years in France. And last year, the Catalan giants came calling.
At Barcelona, Depay was initially the leading figure up top. However, with the departure of Ronald Koeman and the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as head coach, the 28-year-old’s game time started to dwindle.
He has fallen further down the pecking order after the Blaugrana’s recent transfer business. They signed the likes of Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha to bolster their front line.
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In the short term, Depay could be a decent option for Erik ten Hag. United evidently have a shortage of centre-forwards and the Holland international is capable of playing up top.
