Manchester United have been credited with an interest in Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, who wants to return to Old Trafford.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Memphis Depay would be very keen to rejoin Manchester United in January. Erik ten Hag is pretty adamant to bolster his attacking options this month. And the Barcelona ace has emerged as a target.
Manchester United have considered a number of forward. But they are yet to reach a consensus regarding their top target, as arranging funds has been an issue for them. Having already spent over £200 million last summer, they will be open to only cut-price deals or loan moves.
Depay joined the rebuild project at Manchester United under Louis van Gaal in 2015. But it turned out to be one of the most underwhelming spells in his career as he failed to shine in the Premier League. His stint at Old Trafford lasted less than two years, and he was forced to move to Lyon in 2017.
Manchester United bolstered their attack in the summer with the arrival of Antony. But the Brazilian international has not made a rampant impact. In addition, the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo has made things very uncomfortable at Old Trafford.
The unavailability of Jadon Sancho means Erik ten Hag will have to rely heavily on Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for the time being. But injuries to either player will invite more misery for the Premier League heavyweights.
Rashford has been in ravishing form this season. But ten Hag needs to take care of his game time to manage the fixture pile-up pretty carefully. There have been contacts with Depay’s camp over the possibility of a move. And the Dutchman is eager to join Manchester United, as per SPORT.
But Xavi Hernandez recently suggested that Barcelona will not sell the 28-year-old, even though he will become a free agent in the summer. The Catalan giants are in a mess on the financial front. But with January deals unlikely, Barcelona cannot afford to have a thin squad for the sake of bringing in funds.
Manchester United have already initiated their January transfer business with the arrival of Jack Butland on loan from Crystal Palace. And they will be eager to sign at least one other player, which is likely to be a forward to bolster their attack. It will be interesting to see if Depay gets his wish to leave Barcelona for Manchester United.
