Memphis Depay could regret snubbing reported interest from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur this summer, as the striker’s future with Barcelona is already in doubt.
That’s according to Calciomercato, who claim the Blaugrana could include Depay in a swap-deal for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The Camp Nou hierarchy are looking for a creative solution to afford a deal for the Dutch centre-half next year. And they would, supposedly, not be against including Depay and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in a €75m (£65m) package.
Barcelona are desperate to improve their central defensive options with a move to take De Light to Catalunya. Ronald Koeman has so far favoured Eric Garcia, Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo and Clement Lenglet during La Liga fixtures this season.
Their longing for De Ligt could, seemingly, see Depay leave Barcelona, despite only joining the club this summer. He moved to the Camp Nou as a free agent just 14-weeks ago on a two-year contract, after leaving Lyon at the expiration of his deal with the Ligue 1 side.
Liverpool and Tottenham also explored signing Depay as his Lyon career neared an end, but lost out to Barcelona. Marca reported in March that Jurgen Klopp was a threat to Koeman, who had chased a deal for a year.
Meanwhile, FC Inter News claimed Tottenham had joined the race and approached the 27-year-old to discuss a Premier League return. He had scored 22 goals and offered 12 assists in 40 appearances during his final season at the Groupama Stadium.
Depay already out the door at Barcelona?
Depay already has three goals and an assist after four games with Barcelona since snubbing Liverpool and Tottenham this summer. But it seems his early efforts have not been enough to impress the Camp Nou hierarchy.
The forward has impressed Koeman, though, with the Blaugrana boss noting via the club’s Twitter after scoring against Athletic Bilbao: “It’s a great goal. He’s always dangerous, he’s always waiting for the opportunity to score.”
Depay also accepted a large pay cut to secure his Barcelona move amid their crippling financial issues. Goal report he reduced his agreed €7m-a-year (£116k-p/w) wage to €5m (£83k-p/w) to help out however he could. Yet could soon regret moving to the Camp Nou.
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