Memphis Depay will not get to join AS Roma, with the Serie A giants ruling out a January move due to financial reasons.
According to a report by Spanish publication MARCA, Memphis Depay has seen one escape route from Barcelona close. Serie A giants AS Roma will not sign the Dutch attacker in the January transfer window as they cannot afford him.
Memphis Depay is in a weird predicament at the club level. While the 28-year-old is at the peak of his powers, he is barely playing as much as he wants at FC Barcelona. That is despite finishing his debut season as the joint-top scorer for Barcelona. But following the arrival of multiple attackers, the player has become a bit-part figure for the Blaugrana.
The Dutchman has managed only 131 minutes of game time across three appearances thus far this season. That is less than the action Depay accumulated for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in less than a month. The former Manchester United attacker is thus eager to leave Barcelona in January. And a move to Serie A club AS Roma seemed likely.
Jose Mourinho does not have reliable attackers at his disposal. In particular, the AS Roma manager needs to sign more wide attackers, with the inconsistent Stephan El Shaarawy the only natural option for the flanks. Depay had thus emerged as a viable target for the Giallorossi in the last few weeks.
Recent reports had even claimed that talks between Depay and AS Roma had advanced. The Serie A giants have also been in touch with Barcelona over the prospect of a January move. But they have now ended their interest in the 28-year-old for the time being due to his price tag.
Due to financial reasons, the Serie A giants have ruled out signing Depay in the January transfer window. And the Dutch attacker is now in a pickle over his next destination. That is because the report claims no well-known European bigwigs are showing interest in the Barcelona attacker.
But recent reports have claimed that Arsenal might soon table an offer to sign the player. Other claims have linked a few more Premier League clubs with Depay. So it will be interesting to see if the Dutchman returns to England in the January transfer window.
