According to report from our sport reporter saying that Atletico Madrid have recently sounded out the possibility of signing Memphis Depay. The Barcelona forward has emerged as one of many options identified as a replacement for Joao Felix.
But Atleti are yet to make any substantial progress in their pursuit of Depay. They have not tabled any offer, and as per SPORT, Barcelona have not appeared quite friendly either.
Although the report suggests the Catalans are only expected to consider a sale for Depay if Atletico Madrid are willing to pay up for the attacker. They are looking for a transfer fee or a paid loan, even though the player’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Depay, for his part, is reportedly open to the idea of joining Atletico Madrid even though the Spanish giants will not offer him the prospect of European football. However, Atletico have not yet made a move as they are also considering other options in the market.
Nevertheless, Depay appears to be an appealing target for Los Colchoneros, who are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements following the exit of Felix.
It must be noted that Barcelona were initially apprehensive about sanctioning the sale of Depay, with coach Xavi Hernandez, in particular, determined not to lose any player unless the club can sign someone new. The suspension of Robert Lewandowski is also playing a critical role in this saga.
But the club understand that they can generate some amount of revenue if they can convince Atletico Madrid to pay up for Depay. Selling the Dutchman in January would also mean that the club can save his salary for six months.
This would ultimately help Barça complete some of their main objectives in the month of January, which is to register the contract extensions of Ronald Araujo and Gavi while offering new deals to Alejandro Balde, Inaki Pena, and possibly even Ousmane Dembele.
