Memphis Depay: Will he become a millionaire for Barcelona?
Memphis Depay: Will he become a millionaire for Barcelona?
Memphis Depay returns to FC Barcelona training after the World Cup from Qatar. However, the signs for a harmonious second half of the season are not particularly good.
Memphis Depay and FC Barcelona – this has never been such a real love story.
Ever since the Dutchman moved to Catalonia from Lyon on a free transfer in the summer of 2021,
Barca has often been in a tense mood amid injury concerns, dips in form, and internal differences surrounding Depay.
Now the problem culminates in a transfer dilemma that could end extremely bitterly for Barca as a prominent grave of millions.
Depay does not deliver at Barca
Depay is already on the Catalans’ board’s sell list,
with the attacker’s salary being too high compared to his performance on the pitch.
The 28-year-old has only featured in a meager three games this season – twice in La Liga and another in the Champions League.
A total of 131 minutes – not enough for a man in his class.
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Injury concerns about Depay
There were two main reasons for this: The attacker had to deal with injuries from the start of the season.
A muscle on the back of his left thigh kept tweaking,
which meant that Depay was never in top form in the months leading up to the World Cup (5 games, one goal).
This is accompanied by the second problem: The competition at Barca increased again: In Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres,
four offensive players played past the Dutchman in the internal rankings.
Ansu Fati is also gradually getting back to his best days – so it would only be logical for the Dutchman to leave. But what exactly is the next step?
The Barca board would like to get rid of the 28-year-old as soon as possible in order to make money before Depay becomes available on a free transfer in the summer.
In the financial plan, he uses up too much capacity,
without his salary, FC Barcelona would probably be able to realize other contract extensions.
Manchester United as a transfer target?
On the other hand, the Depay camp refuses to rush on without having found a suitable target.
The alleged demands: participation in the Champions League and a handsome salary.
So FC Barcelona could now end up in a quandary. The offers should not exactly be en masse on the negotiating table.
Although Roma, Galatasaray, and Newcastle United are said to be interested in a transfer,
a rush change this winter seems unrealistic.
A return to Manchester United is apparently not out of the question either – after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo,
it would definitely be a sensational change in the red part of Manchester.
And yet, from Barca’s point of view, many things point to the worst possible solution: half a year of salary payments for a player without far-reaching sporting influence – and then on top of that a transfer without any transfer fee.
Memphis Depay: Will he become a millionaire for Barcelona?
