Manchester United are in a position to block Memphis Depay’s move away from Lyon as Spurs are interested in the £50million Dutch forward
According to reports of the Sun, Tottenham are lining up a £50million move for former Manchester United forward Memphis Depay. The Red Devils have the option of the first refusal and can block him from joining Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino is desperate to bolster Tottenham’s attacking options after his side have struggled to remain consistent in the Premier League. The Lillywhites are currently languishing in 14th position after mustering three wins out of their last 12 matches.
However the major block in this move will not be Depay or his club Lyon, rather it will be Manchester United who has a first buy option in the Dutchman’s clause when he joined the French side. Depay joined Lyon in January 2017 for a fee of around £16million initially.
Depay had a torrid time at the Old Trafford under the tutelage of Louis van Gaal after his impressive performances for the Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven, where he scored 28 times before donning the red of Manchester United. In his time at Manchester United, he only netted seven goals and six assists in 53 appearances. But the 25-year old turned things around after joining Ligue 1 side Lyon and has been in stupendous goalscoring form for both club and country. In 130 appearances for Lyon, the Netherlands international have netted 50 goals along with impressive 42 assists.
Amidst all the rumours Lyon’s director of football, Juninho is confident that the 25-year will stay at Lyon as he is happy at the club and also hopes to extend his contract that runs till June 2021. He also admits that in terms of transfers Manchester United will have the final say over any call regarding the Netherlands international.
Just like Tottenham, Lyon have also struggled this season as they are currently sitting in 14th position in Ligue 1 and if it remains that way, Depay may consider of jumping ship and getting back to the Premier League. He also has some unfinished business there and if he refuses to extend his contract it is better for the French outfit to cash in on him. Manchester United have also lost some of their attacking impetus with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku’s departure and adding someone like Depay back to the setup will be a breath of fresh air for the Red Devils.
Overall this season despite all the struggle from Lyon, he has maintained his form and scored 11 goals in 14 games for Lyon in all competitions. Depay has pace, physicality and he has also added creativity in his armoury, as his crosses tend to find the forwards in the box piling up his assists. The 25-year old has also gained a lot of maturity in his play with his decision making in the final third. But now it remains to be seen whether Manchester United welcomes him back or will Spurs land the Dutch superstar.
