Barcelona have announced the signing of Memphis Depay, who makes the switch to Camp Nou by penning a two-year deal with the Catalan giants.
Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Memphis Depay. The 27-year-old will complete the switch to Camp Nou when he contract with Lyon expires at the end of the month, and will pen a two-year contract with the Blaugrana.
✒️ Heart of a Lion
???❤️? pic.twitter.com/F7YZw6Y71m— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 19, 2021
Depay has resurrected his career superbly since joining Lyon from Manchester United in January 2017. In this period, he has also gone on to become the single-most pivotal figure for the Dutch national side while also being one of the best players plying their trade in Ligue 1, with 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 appearances to show for his efforts during his spell with Les Gones.
However, heading into the summer transfer window, it has been clear that Depay was set for a new adventure, as he chose to run down his contract with Lyon. For quite some time, Barcelona were believed to be the only club that stood a realistic chance of signing him, although there was some competition from clubs like Juventus, PSG and a few others.
Barcelona have been quite active in the summer transfer window so far, signing Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal without really loosening their purse strings. The Catalan giants, though, have not nearly been done, with president Joan Laporta reportedly sanctioning the overhaul of the squad after a couple of sub-par seasons.
To that end, Depay has been viewed as a top target for Barcelona amid the uncertain future faced by Francisco Trincao and Ousmane Dembele at Camp Nou. With Martin Braithwaite only being a bit-part player for Barcelona, the need to bolster the attack by signing the Dutch international has been viewed as a step in the right direction for the Blaugrana.
Memphis Depay for Lyon, 2020-21:
4️⃣0️⃣ games
2️⃣2️⃣ goals
1️⃣2️⃣ assistsAnd Barca got him for free ? pic.twitter.com/oGqjxa1YK2
— Goal (@goal) June 19, 2021
The move has now been made permanent, with Depay set to formally complete the switch to Camp Nou when his contract with Lyon runs out at the end of this month. Barcelona will then have secured the services of the Dutch international on a two-year deal running through to June 30, 2023.
The player’s official presentation, meanwhile, is only likely to be done after the end of Netherlands’ campaign at UEFA Euro 2020. For now, Depay has become Barcelona fourth signing of the summer transfer window and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the latest phase in his career.
