Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd face Turkish competition for Barcelona attacker as rival offer launched and player’s preference revealed

Barcelona players Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembele

Manchester United will have to fend off a Turkish Super Lig club if they want to capture Barcelona’s Memphis Depay, according to a report.

Depay was at Man Utd between summer 2015 and January 2017, following an initial £31million transfer from PSV. The forward arrived at Old Trafford with big expectations after scoring 50 goals for PSV, but things didn’t work out how they were supposed to.

Depay made 53 appearances for the Red Devils and only managed seven goals in that time.

As such, Man Utd cut their losses and sold him to Lyon for £14.75m, as per The Guardian. Depay reignited his career in France, registering 76 goals in 178 games for Lyon.

The Netherlands international ran down his contract at the Ligue 1 side and went on to achieve a dream transfer. He joined Barcelona on a free during the summer of 2021.

And due to Sergio Aguero’s discovery of a heart condition and subsequent retirement, Depay played more than he was expecting during his first year at the Nou Camp. He did well too, finding the net 13 times in 38 outings.

However, Depay’s place in the Barca team came under threat when they captured Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich earlier this year. This, along with a thigh injury, has reduced Depay’s game time significantly.

The 28-year-old recovered in time to play for his country at the Qatar World Cup. And he impressed as the Netherlands reached the last eight, although Cody Gakpo stole the headlines with three goals.

Man Utd consider Memphis Depay return

Following the termination of Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract, Man Utd are in need of a new forward to lead their line. And Erik ten Hag’s side are strongly thinking of reuniting with Depay, according to reports.

Spanish newspaper Sport provide an update on the attacker’s situation. They reveal Man Utd have competition for his signature, as Turkish outfit Galatasaray have sent Barca a transfer proposal.

Galatasaray are ‘very interested’ in taking Depay on board. Given his Champions League and World Cup experience, he would be a marquee signing for them.

But the report doesn’t reveal how much Galatasaray have offered or whether Barca have accepted the terms.

It does state, though, that they are the only club to send a bid to Barca. This means Man Utd have yet to act on their interest in Depay and will need to do so soon to prevent him from going elsewhere.

Depay’s Barca contract expires at the end of the campaign, which puts him in an interesting position. From January 1 onwards, he can sort out a pre-contract agreement with other European clubs ahead of a free transfer.

Barca want to receive money for him in January, however. There is apparently a ‘tug-of-war’ going on between Barca and Depay over how he will leave Catalonia.

The report also gives a nugget of information on Depay’s preferred next move. He would rather not sign for Galatasaray, which indicates he wants to stay at the highest level.

While Depay is clearly a good player, Man Utd should steer clear of taking him back to Manchester. His first spell with them didn’t go to plan and his second spell would probably end badly too.

Plus, there are other attackers with greater potential whom Man Utd can sign. Their priority for the centre-forward position is Gakpo.

And after his World Cup exploits, few would bet against him shining in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, a Man Utd-linked star is disturbed by the speculation, while journalists have revealed a secret meeting about his future.