Transfers

Memphis Depay 'will finish season with Lyon', club claim

The Dutchman has been heavily linked with Barcelona but it seems that OL will look to retain him until next summer

10:40pm on Tuesday 10th November 2020
By Paul Macdonald

Memphis Depay will finish the season with Lyon and won't move to Barcelona in the January transfer window, president Jean Michel Aulas has claimed.

With Ansu Fati out for up to four months and Barca still decided what to do with the inconsistent Ousmane Dembele, it was widely considered that the Camp Nou club would come back for Depay.

Ronald Koeman was keen to sign him in the summer but the finances of the Catalan giants meant that they were unable to get a deal done despite OL's desire at the time to agree terms.

But Aulas has now categorically said that Depay will not leave in the winter window, saying to RMC Sport: “I think that he [Depay] can bring Lyon into a dimension that everyone wants to see for Lyon.

"I was the first to say that he would not leave for Barcelona. Nobody listened to me at the time during the window because everyone thought that he would leave. We absolutely have to succeed this season.

"We started badly, but we have the capacity to do better, so he will stay.”

Lyon started the season in poor form but have bounced back in recent matches and Depay, who missed most of last season with a serious cruciate injury, has looked back to his best.

But the news will come as another blow to Ronald Koeman who, as well as Fati's injury, has Philippe Coutinho also crocked while Lionel Messi is free to negotiate terms with other teams from January should he wish to leave.

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