Newcastle United have seemingly turned down the offer to sign FC Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay this month, with the Catalan club now expecting the forward to leave in the summer.
According to Sport, Barcelona officials now think Depay will depart the Nou Camp at the end of this season once his contract has expired, with the La Liga giants yet to receive an offer for the Netherlands international despite offering the striker to the likes of Newcastle in recent weeks.
Depay is one of many players Barcelona are looking to offload this month, and Newcastle had been reported as one of the favourites to sign the Dutch superstar, with Sport claiming that the Toon were leading the likes of Tottenham for the 28-year-old’s signature.
However, it now appears that Newcastle have turned down the offer to sign Depay this month, with Eddie Howe likely to target a cheaper option in the market as the Magpies look to spend in January with the northeast side sitting third in the Premier League standings.
Indeed, with Alexander Isak on the road to recovery and Callum Wilson likely to return soon, Newcastle’s striking options are already quite impressive, with goals also of no concern as the Toon have seemingly cracked the code for sharing the load out between the entire squad.
Which is also why the decision might have been made to turn down the offer for Depay, even though the Barcelona attacker would have been Newcastle’s first bonafide superstar signing and a massive sign of intent from PIF.
Newcastle might have made right decision in rejecting offer to sign Depay
Turning down a quality player from Barcelona is always a risky move, especially for a club like Newcastle. Yet Howe could soon be proven right in his decision to reject Depay with the Magpies’ striking options so close to returning to action from injury.
As mentioned, goals have hardly been an issue for Newcastle this season, and whilst Depay would have been a great addition on paper, the Toon are playing it safe by rejecting the Barcelona star and focusing on other players in the transfer market.
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