Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a potential transfer blow after Barcelona forward Memphis Depay has turned down the prospect of a move to the club for the time being, according to the Spanish publication Sport.
The report claims that Tottenham held talks with the Dutch international with the blessing of Barcelona after being given a valuation of just over €20million (£17million), only for Depay not to warm to the advances of the north Londoners.
Depay has accepted that game time could be an issue after the Catalan giants signed Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in the current transfer window (ESPN).
The 28-year-old wants to be part of an important team who can push for silverware and believes that if Barcelona decides to lower their valuation further, he may get other opportunities to leave.
Our View
The former Olympique Lyonnais man had a mixed time with the La Liga side, as injuries and being played out of position did not provide him with the right situation to succeed so far. Despite that, he scored 13 goals and two assists from 38 matches last season (Transfermarkt), which is quite solid when the appropriate context is applied.
However, Depay has looked lively during the pre-season so far, which could suggest that he may have adapted to his new environment. His natural position is more of a left-inside forward rather than a pure striker, which could explain why his best performances have come from the left wing.
Son Heung-Min is an obvious starter in that role for us, especially after the campaign he had last time around. Following Steven Bergwijn’s departure, Depay would be a fine addition for his low price tag as a replacement, with Antonio Conte having doubts about Bryan Gil’s suitability for Premier League football (Evening Standard).
However, convincing Depay could be difficult when Son would probably be the starter in his suited position. Arsenal (Fichajes) and Manchester United (TuttoJuve) have also entered the race for the Barca star, making it even more difficult for us to sign him even if we better our proposal.
