Tottenham Hotspur are battling Barcelona and Inter Milan to secure a deal that would see Netherlands international Memphis Depay return to the Premier League, as reported by FC Inter News.
When discussing his future in May, Lyon’s talismanic captain admitted a handful of teams had shown an interest in signing him.
“Barcelona is a fantastic club,” Depay said. “But there are other great clubs (interested in me too).”
At the time, the identity of those “great clubs” was unknown.
But, according to reports coming out of Italy, Tottenham and Inter Milan are the mystery suitors rivalling Barcelona for the signature of perhaps the most high-profile free agent in European football.
Depay’s contract is due to expire at the end of June.
And much to the frustration of Lyon director Juninho – who was at pains to point out Depay, while undeniably talented, is no Lionel Messi – the former PSV hero is set to leave the Groupama Stadium for nothing.
FC Inter News reports Tottenham have expressed an interest in handing Depay the chance to silence his critics and show he has bounced back better and stronger following his ill-fated spell at Manchester United.
Spurs may not feel like the obvious front-runners, given the identity of Depay’s other admirers, but Inter’s crippling financial problems mean the Scudetto winners may struggle to fund the winger’s £80,000-a-week wage demands.
Barcelona are stuck in a similarly perilous situation.
Furthermore, it seems unlikely Depay would swap Lyon for Catalonia if Ronald Koeman, his former Holland boss, is given his marching orders at Camp Nou.
Interestingly, The Times reports Mauricio Pochettino wanted to sign Depay for Spurs in 2014 before the player’s £25 million move to Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, labelled the 27-year-old a “fantastic professional”, insisting Depay’s struggles at Old Trafford were a result of the fierce competition in United’s ranks (Manchester Evening News).
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