Spanish outlet Sport has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are putting in the ‘most effort’ to sign Memphis Depay from Barcelona.
The N17 club have been proactive this summer having signed five players already and are said to be on the verge of their sixth signing with Djed Spence expected to join from Middlesbrough (The Athletic).
Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, and Ivan Perisic have been all brought in to add depth and competition to Antonio Conte’s squad.
Depay’s future at the Nou Camp is said to be un der question with the Catalan giants having already extended the contract of Ousmane Dembele while also recently recruiting Raphinha from Leeds and Robert Lewandowski tipped to make the switch from Bayern Munich (Sky Sports), which would impact the game time of the Dutchman with Ferran Torres, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Ansu Fati all jostling for selection.
Sport has also understood that Depay’s entourage are not impressed by the club’s €20 million valuation of Depay and believe that it would hamper their chances of landing a good salary elsewhere.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Xavi is counting on Depay if he stays. But, Barcelona are flexible on letting him leave on “low” transfer conditions and the Dutchman will only accept a move to an important club.
Our View
Depay is a versatile attacker that can play anywhere across the frontline. If needed, he can also drop back to the midfield. And, to get him for a cut-price of €20 million would be a shrewd bit of business.
He was the leading goal-scorer for Barca in La Liga last term with 12 goals (transfermarkt). Injuries were an issue for him last season but he made a good comeback towards the end of it.
If Spurs do go ahead with their potential interest in signing him, he will add immense depth and quality to their attack. But, it remains to be seen if he will accept a secondary role, considering that he might not be a starter under Conte given the competition for places among the likes of Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura, Richarlison and Heung-min Son.
