Manchester United may be about to be offered Memphis Depay for just £22 million.
The Red Devils’ buy-back clause, inserted into his contract when signing for French side Lyon, could be about to be triggered as Barcelona are reported to be launching a bid for the former United man.
The clause allows United first refusal on the player by matching any bid that is accepted by Lyon.
The Dutchman’s contract ends in June and with Lyon in considerable financial difficulty, a sale this summer seems highly likely.
The Blaugrana’s new head coach Ronald Koeman knows Memphis well, having been his coach at national team level, and is believed to be poised to make him his first signing at the Camp Nou.
Previous reports claimed that Barça were readying a bid in the region of €40 million (£35.8m) but a new report from Post United via Sport claims that the Catalans believe they can capture the 26 year old for just €25 million (£22.4m).
If that bid is accepted, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have the option to bring the player back to the club he joined in 2015.
Memphis was brought to United by Louis Van Gaal but after a promising start seemed to lose his way, with rumours circulating that he had become distracted by a rock star lifestyle.
He was quickly offloaded by José Mourinho but has since matured, scoring 54 goals and providing 43 assists in 126 games for Lyon. At 26, he was flying last season until a cruciate knee ligament rupture ruled him out for several months.
Memphis played on the left wing for United but nowadays operates more as a centre forward, so he could offer cover in two different positions.
Solskjaer’s opinion of the Dutchman is unknown, but if he does believe he can contribute to United’s forward line, it would certainly present a very cost-effective alternative to other options being considered. (AFP)
