Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly registered their interest in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay in the summer transfer window.
The Netherlands international, 28, joined Barcelona on a free transfer last summer from Lyon, but after a strong start to his time in Spain, he has fallen down the pecking order under new manager Xavi Hernandez. He has found game time hard to come by post the January transfer window following the arrivals of Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham are in a pole position to sign Barcelona’s Memphis Depay. Italian clubs such as Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli are also keen on the Dutch forward, while Lyon would like to sign him again.
Depay is currently Barcelona’s top scorer with 10 goals in 29 games, despite spending almost two months on the sidelines due to hamstring and Achilles tendon problems. Since returning from injury last month, he is yet to start a league fixture for the Catalan giants.
The 28-year-old forward is clearly behind the likes of Torres, Aubameyang and the reinvigorated Ousmane Dembele in the attacking pecking order, and with his contract expiring in 2023, Barcelona could look to cash him in this summer, the report adds.
Memphis Depay to Tottenham—Wise move?
Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham is likely to be a talking point once again over the coming weeks and months. The English centre-forward, who was heavily linked with Manchester City last summer, is now on the radar of Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window.
Jorge Mendes, one of the world’s top agents, can certainly see Kane leaving north London and is reportedly working hard behind the scenes to find Spurs a replacement should their striker move on, thereby, making Memphis Depay a viable target.
Depay resurrected his career at Lyon after failing miserably with Manchester United, where he managed only two goals in 33 appearances. Four solid full seasons with Lyon saw Barcelona snap him up on a Bosman transfer last summer, but after a bright start to his career at Camp Nou, he has found limited opportunities of late.
Nonetheless, the Netherlands international is Barcelona’s top scorer, and at 28, he needs to be playing week in, week out. It could happen at Spurs where Depay could come in as a potential replacement for Kane, having transformed himself into a centre-forward from a flashy wide player over the last few years.
For Barcelona, Depay has been a consistent performer up front based on his average of 2.4 shots, 0.3 aerials won, 1.8 key passes, 1.6 dribbles and 1.6 crosses per game in La Liga. He has done well with his back to goal and knitting play by dropping deep in midfield at times as he has completed 81.8% of his attempted passes. (stats courtesy: whoscored)
The Dutchman with his experience and expertise can contribute a lot to the Spurs attack, and having seen him evolve into a quality centre-forward in recent years, the north Londoners should give him a second chance to prove his naysayers wrong in the Premier League.
