Newcastle have reportedly opened talks to sign Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay, along with Arsenal and Everton. A player, that Gini Wijnaldum says has the ability to make his teammates better.
Depay, 28, joined Barcelona and hit the ground running with Ronald Koeman in the dugout. But Koeman was sacked and in came Xavi – and so did the signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres.
Depay has failed to start a league game since December 4, with injury and a lack of momentum since forcing Depay to watch from the bench. He only signed a two-year deal when he joined on a free from Lyon in the summer.
It means he is out of contract in the summer of 2023, meaning Barcelona could decide to cash in the next few months. Super Deporte claim Newcastle – as well as Arsenal and Everton – have enquired over a move for Depay.
Speaking about Depay – his Netherlands teammate for many years – earlier in the season, ex-Newcastle ace Wijnaldum told FIFA that Depay is the kind of player that gets the best out of his teammates by creating space.
“Memphis is a great player. I think the team is doing so well because of Memphis. Personally, I’m doing so well because he’s that good that our opponents are constantly having to keep an eye on him.
“This creates space for me, for other midfielders. He makes the players around him better. He’s a striker now but he does much more than score goals – he makes things happen, he gets assists,” Wijnaldum added.
Wijnaldum on Depay: Newcastle would be pulling off a major coup
Depay is a proper player. He has the kind of calibre of a player in the top tier of current footballers, cream of the crop. The fact he only just joined Barcelona shows he is a player capable of Champions League football.
He is still only 28 – and if Newcastle managed to convince him of a move to the Premier League, then it would be one of the signings of the summer. He could be the face of Newcastle’s project over the next few years.
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