Transfer news - Barcelona complete Memphis Depay signing on free transfer from Olympique Lyonnais
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Updated 19/06/2021 at 17:01 GMT
The Dutchman becomes the third free signing made by Barcelona this summer as they try to use that market in order to save some money. Depay is able to link up again with his old boss at the Netherlands in Ronald Koeman. Depay currently has scored once during the Netherlands' first two matches at Euro 2020.
ZEIST, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 10: Memphis Depay of Holland during the Training Holland at the KNVB Campus on October 10, 2020 in Zeist Netherlands (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
La Liga side Barcelona have signed their fourth player of the season in the form of Dutch forward Memphis Depay, who arrives on a free transfer from Lyon.
Depay scored 76 goals for Lyon in 178 games since arriving from Manchester United in 2016, being named in the Team of the Year in the season just gone.
However his contract was run down allowing him to choose his next move and he has decided to link up with his old national team boss with the Netherlands, Ronald Koeman.
Interestingly the 27-year-old has only signed a two-year contract.
Depay is the third free transfer Barcelona have made this summer following the arrivals of Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia from Manchester City.
The other signing is Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal. The Catalans had hoped to add Depay’s compatriot Georginio Wijnaldum but he decided to join PSG instead.
OUR VIEW – MORE SURPRISINGLY SMART BUSINESS
A lot of people have a lot of issues with the way Barcelona have been run over the years, and with good reason too.
The club has reportedly built up an astronomical amount of debt so the new management team, led by new president Joan Laporta, have to get creative in the transfer market until they can raise funds and get some high earners off their books.
Aguero, Garcia and now Depay are all free transfers (who will obviously have high wages/signing-on fees) who save on transfer fees paid to another club. Emerson should be sold on for a profit.
It’s a step in the right direction as Barcelona try to dig themselves out of this ridiculous hole although the two-year contract is certainly an eyebrow-raiser.
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