Lyon club president Jean-Michel Aulas has claimed Josep Bartomeu has told him the La Liga club cannot afford to buy Memphis Depay.
Barcelona have been heavily linked with the former Manchester United star as new manager Ronald Koeman looks to overhaul his squad in the coming weeks.
However, despite Depay being available for a rumoured €30m, due to his contract expiring in July 2021, Aulas is confident he will stay in France.
The 71-year old responded to an article from De Telegraaf on Depay’s links to the Camp Nou, stating his opposite number Bartomeu has informed him they are unable to raise the funds for a bid.
Memphis kost Barcelona 30 miljoen euro | Voetbal | https://t.co/ENn92q9lkf @ol @Le_Progres Le président du Barça m’a indiqué dès dimanche que le Barça souffrait beaucoup d la crise du Covid et n’avait pas de possibilité de faire une offre.#memphis https://t.co/R1eGdE276j
— Jean-Michel AULAS (@JM_Aulas) September 15, 2020
However, despite Aulas’ strong indication over the rumours, a report from Diario AS claims Barcelona could generate the money for a move if they sell certain players before the end of October.
Arrturo Vidal has been strongly linked with a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan, with Luis Suarez still on the radar of defending Italian champions Juventus.
