According to Sport, Manchester United and Arsenal are considering moves to sign Barcelona forward Memphis Depay this winter.
The Dutch star will enter the final six months of his contract in January and Sport claim that both United and Arsenal are interested in signing him. However, Barcelona have no plans of offloading Depay on a free transfer and it is reported that they need to make a financial gain if the Dutchman were to leave the club.
Bargain
United recently terminated the contract of Cristiano Ronaldo by mutual agreement and manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that a replacement could be signed. Depay would be a quality low-cost signing as he is vastly experienced and has already played in the Premier League.
His previous stint with United was far from impressive with just two goals from 32 league appearances but he may want to redeem himself with a second chance. On the other hand, Arsenal could also offer him the opportunity as they are keen on landing a quality striker after Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury.
Depay perfectly fits into manager Mikel Arteta’s plans as he is versatile and can switch between the wide and central roles. He is also strongly built and can hold-up play for his teammates. These are qualities which manager Erik ten Hag would also be looking for in his line-up at United.
Both clubs will be hoping to sign Depay for a nominal fee in January but Barcelona will make the final decision. The Spanish outfit could delay his departure until mid-January at least, considering Robert Lewandowski is suspended for the next three domestic games after his sending off against Osasuna.
The £159,000-a-week star would be a good purchase for either club. United need to strengthen their attack in January in order to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League. On the contrary, Arsenal need more quality in the final third to defy the odds and beat Manchester City to the title.
