Over the past month or so, there have been a lot of speculations surrounding the future of Barcelona forward Memphis Depay.
At one point, it had been suggested that the Blaugrana would offload the Netherlands international in the January transfer window in order to raise some cash and reduce some burden on their wage bill.
However, with their Fair Play situation being so much worse than initially perceived, the Catalans are now said to be retaining Depay as they will not be able to strengthen their squad in the winter and will have to make do without Robert Lewandowski for three games due to his ban.
Recent reports also suggested that the 28-year-old forward himself was considering staying put at the club until the end of the season, when his contract expires.
However, according to Gerard Romero (h/t Pol Alonso), Depay is understood to be targeting a transfer to the Premier League in the upcoming January window.
The Dutch ace has found game-time hard to come by at Spotify Camp Nou this season. With Lewandowski and Raphinha arriving in the summer, Ansu Fati recovering to full fitness and Ousmane Dembele renewing, Depay has increased competition and played just three matches.
With Xavi not relying on him anymore, an exit seemed likely in the winter. He had also been attracting interest from Manchester United, who are in the market to replace Cristiano Ronaldo following the latter’s departure earlier this month.
Some reports even suggested that Chelsea could make a move for the Netherlands striker following the season-ending injury to Armando Broja.
More recently, it has also been suggested that Depay has been offered to Newcastle United, who are said to be considering a move for the 28-year-old striker.
With the attacker’s contract expiring at the end of the season, an exit now could be the final chance for Barça to generate some revenue from his sale. But given their inability to sign new players, weakening the roster by offloading players might not be the smartest idea unless it is for a significant fee.