Barcelona have already locked down Eric Garcia, Sergio Aguero and Emerson, but two other signings they’d lined up are in danger. One, Gini Wijnaldum, is gone, having chosen Paris Saint-Germain over Barcelona. Memphis Depay, the other, is up in the air; PSG are also interested in the Dutchman, as are Juventus and Inter. Juventus, specifically, are said to have sent Memphis a superior economic offer. Mundo Deportivo, however, reckon that the presence of Ronald Koeman could be the decisive factor in Barcelona’s pursuit.
Koeman pushed hard to bring him in last summer, only for Ousmane Dembele’s refusal to go on loan to Manchester United to scupper the move. When the Garcia move was being prepped back in January, Memphis was also mentioned as a desired target; now that Koeman’s continuity has been confirmed for next season, he was counting on being able to finally secure his countryman. He’ll hope financial ambition doesn’t kill the deal.
Memphis was in Barcelona at the beginning of May looking for a house in the city, and spoke with Koeman and another fellow Dutchman at Camp Nou, Frenkie de Jong, to gain advice on where to live. Wijnaldum’s decision to renege on a seemingly closed verbal deal has given the Blaugrana pause for thought, but they’re confident Memphis’ relationship with Koeman is strong enough to close out the deal.
