Barcelona forward Memphis Depay has reportedly been offered to Newcastle United ahead of the January transfer window.
That is according to Spanish outlet Sport, who believe that the Magpies have been given the chance to sign the 28-year-old for as little as £8.8million.
Not only that – Sport add that Eddie Howe’s side are in fact interested in signing the Dutchman, who is set to become a free agent in the summer.
Depay joined Barcelona in 2021, but only signed a two-year deal. That means January is Barca’s last chance to get some money for Depay before they lose him for nothing.
Sport seem to think Newcastle could come to their rescue, and even believe that Howe wanted Depay during the previous transfer window.
But if that was the case then why didn’t he join?
No way Newcastle sign Depay despite being offered his services
While Sport believe that Newcastle wanted Depay earlier this year, that doesn’t quite add up with what was reported on British shores.
Based on what 90min claimed in the summer, this is now the second time that Depay has been offered to the Magpies. They reported in July that Newcastle were given the opportunity to sign the former Manchester United player.
However, they stated that Howe was unsure if Depay would suit his system at St James’ Park.
Fast forward to December, and Newcastle’s system hasn’t changed. It is still the 4-3-3 that worked so well last season. If anything, it is working even better now.
Therefore, it is incredibly difficult to believe Sport’s report about Newcastle wanting to take up the offer of Depay.
He is an excellent footballer – there is no denying that. And he also has history of playing alongside current Magpie Bruno Guimaraes, who is a big fan of Depay based on previous comments. They were at Lyon together, and could be reunited on Tyneside.
That would delight Bruno, who previously said the following about Depay: “He is a player that opponents do not like to face, he scares them. With us, he is very respected, he is our captain, a very important player. To be able to count on him, it’s truly great.”
However, Depay is the kind of big name that Newcastle have done so well to avoid since the change of ownership. Our recruitment has been brilliant, and it is because we haven’t signed players like him.
He currently earns £159,000-a-week at Barcelona. That is more than any player gets at Newcastle right now. Yet Sport believe that he is keen to increase his wages with his next move. There’s another reason why this rumour just doesn’t add up.
There is surely no chance Depay is joining Newcastle. If we are going to sign a Dutch forward, it should be Cody Gakpo.
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