Liverpool tipped to rival Barcelona for free agent Memphis Depay
Last Updated: April 1, 2021 6:04 pm
Speculation stemming from the Spanish media has hinted at potential interest in Memphis Depay on the part of Premier League champions Liverpool.
Lyon standout
Depay, 27, is set to join a host of high-profile names on the free agent market this summer.
The gifted attacker has of course been plying his trade with Lyon since 2017, where he has gone on to showcase some of the best form of his career to date.
Depay has established himself as a key cog in an exciting up-and-coming side under Rudi Garcia, acting as both a constant goalscoring and creative threat.
The 2018/19 campaign, for example, saw the former Manchester United man notch 12 goals and a hefty 16 assists across all competitions.
And this season, in a more central role, Depay’s exploits in front of goal have reached even more impressive heights, with the Dutchman having found the net 15 times thus far, to lead Lyon’s surprise Ligue 1 title challenge.
Memphis Depay of Lyon celebrates his goal during UEFA Champions League Group G football match SL Benfica against Olympique Lyonnais, in Lisbon, on October 23, 2019. (Photo by Carlos Palma/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Depay is also a mainstay in the Netherlands’ international setup, and found the net twice just days ago, as the Oranje thumped Gibraltar 7-0 in a World Cup qualifying clash.
Few players would even attempt this escape juggle from Depay 😮pic.twitter.com/a6TadnSVSU
— Goal (@goal) March 30, 2021
Premier League return?
As such, despite question marks over his attitude in the past, it should come as little surprise to hear of interest on the part of some of European football’s top clubs in Depay’s signature.
As outlined above, the versatile attacker is set to be available on a free transfer this summer, with his Lyon contract due to expire upon the season’s completion.
La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, to this point, have been the outfit most persistently tipped as a potential landing spot for Depay, with Ronald Koeman – who previously oversaw the Dutchman’s development at international level – of course now on the bench at the Camp Nou.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 16: Head Coach Ronald Koeman of FC Barcelona looks on during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou on February 16, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
If the latest speculation doing the rounds in the Spanish media is anything to go by, though, then the Blaugrana could well be forced to beat out competition from one of the Premier League’s giants, in their bid to land Depay.
The outfit in question? Liverpool.
As per a report from Marca, the Reds ‘may decide to muscle in on the 27-year-old forward’.
Interestingly, word of Liverpool’s potential interest in Depay comes just 24 hours after it was claimed that Jurgen Klopp and co. are on the lookout for an attack-minded player, capable of lining out both centrally and on the wings, this summer.
The soon-to-be dethroned Premier League champions could certainly do a lot worse than Depay…
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This article was edited by Robert Fosterman.
Liverpool betting odds, next game:
Leeds vs Liverpool odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Leeds vs Liverpool Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 6/1 | 17/2 |
| Liverpool | 2/1 | 12/5 |
| Draw | 4/1 | 16/1 |
| Leeds vs Liverpool Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah | 13/10 | 13/10 | 8/13 |
| Diogo Jota | 2/1 | 2/1 | 20/21 |
| Patrick Bamford | 12/5 | 12/5 | 8/5 |
| Sadio Mane | 12/5 | 12/5 | 11/10 |
| Roberto Firmino | 3/1 | 3/1 | 6/4 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 32 | 44 | 74 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 31 | 27 | 63 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 31 | 18 | 56 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 31 | 12 | 55 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 31 | 19 | 54 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 31 | 16 | 52 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 31 | 17 | 49 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 30 | 3 | 48 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 31 | 8 | 45 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 31 | 0 | 45 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 30 | 10 | 44 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 31 | -10 | 38 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 31 | -19 | 38 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 31 | -17 | 36 |
| 15 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 31 | -5 | 33 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 31 | -17 | 33 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 31 | -19 | 32 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 32 | -18 | 26 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | -31 | 24 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 31 | -38 | 14 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 19 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 19 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 14 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 14 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 9 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 9 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 9 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 0 | 7 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 6 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Targett, Matt | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 7 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 6 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 6 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
