Depay has managed to restore his tainted reputation to the highest level since leaving Manchester United for Lyon in the summer of 2017.
Barcelona are interested in Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay has a lot of talent, but he is not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, says Louis Van Gaal. He is not sure Barcelona’s goal will adjust to life at the Camp Nou. Depay has managed to restore his tainted reputation to the highest level since leaving Manchester United for Lyon. The Red Devils had forked out £31 million to bring the Dutch international to Old Trafford from PSV two years earlier. Still, he only managed to score seven goals in 53 club appearances and failed to snuggle up to a regular starting XI. The 26-year-old has re-opened his top form at Groupama Stadium. He scored 57 goals and 43 assisted in 139 outings to help Lyon fight for the Ligue 1 title and Champions League success.
Juninho insisted that no formal offers presented from Barcelona
Depay’s goals helped Rudi Garcia’s men reached the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition last season. So he is now in favor of a potential move to LaLiga. The former Man United winger has confirmed Barça has registered interest in his services. After the Netherlands were beaten 1-0 by Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. Garcia and Lyon’s sporting director Juninho insisted that no formal offers have been presented yet. Still, the latter also acknowledged that the pricing asset could be sold if a suitable offer is submitted before the transfer window closes. Louis Van Gaal is the man who lured Depay to Manchester back in 2015.
The former United and Netherlands head coach told reporters: “There is always a question mark. Depay is an interesting player, especially when he is free to play. But we have to consider adapting to a new culture and new team. And the first year is always the toughest. Look at Matthijs De Ligt or Frenkie de Jong. “Depay has talent, but he is not Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo”. Van Gaal continued to discuss the recent appointment of Ronald Koeman as Barça’s new head coach. He expressed his belief that his fellow countryman takes on a challenging job given the ongoing speculation around the 69-year-old added: “I think he’s a good coach, he’s a former Barcelona player. And that gives him more honor. It won’t be easy because you can never know about Messi’s problem.”