Memphis Depay has stopped rumors of an early exit from Barcelona by declaring his intention to stay at the club.
Memphis Depay joined Barcelona, one of the clubs interested in him at the time, on a free transfer after four successful years (on a personal level) at Olympique Lyonnais where he was captain for two of those four years.
He has been Barcelona’s best striker this season in terms of production, scoring 12 goals and assisting in 34 total games for the club. But he was limited to just 34 matches after the sacking of Ronald Koeman and the hiring of Xavi Hernandez. Injuries also kept him out of the team, reducing his playing time.
However, Xavi does not seem to favor the Dutchman much, as he often uses him as a substitute and starts him in ‘unimportant’ or ‘less important’ matches. This has led to speculation that he will be out at the end of the season, despite him having a contract that expires in 2023.
The speculation was also supported by a report from the club claiming that president Joan Laporta has put all but seven players on the market this season, and will listen to any good offers.
But Memphis has a different idea, saying he wants to stay in Barcelona for several years. “I came here in Barcelona with the desire to play for the team – and of course I want to feel important here for several years,” he said.
According to reports, the Dutch striker has been “contacted” by a few unnamed Premier League clubs in the past few weeks. But it is understood that these methods have not yielded anything regarding the transfer, although the club is open to negotiations with him.
Arsenal is rumored to be one of the clubs that have approached him as they search for a replacement for departing Eddie Nketia and Alexandre Lacazette.
Meanwhile, one of Barcelona’s most silent transfer links is between the Catalan club and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves.
Reports claim that Xavi admires the player and has inquired about him, although he was not stopped if it was for a transfer, loan or only for an exploratory report.
Wolves have now decided to charge a €120m price tag on the midfielder, who is also wanted by a host of other big clubs especially in the Premier League.
Neves is also reported to be interested in a move to Barcelona. His agent, Jorge Mendes, has a good relationship with Laporta, which means the deal, if Barcelona’s reports are correct, could go smoothly for the Catalans.
