La Vanguardia has recently stated that Barcelona are inching closer towards finalising a move for Olympique Lyonnais winger Memphis Depay this summer. In a report earlier this month, La Vanguardia also claimed that the Catalan giants have agreed on a €25m fee to acquire the services of the Dutch attacker during this summer transfer window.
Depay’s Decent Run Of Form In French Football
Depay has made a bright start to this Ligue 1 campaign after scoring a hattrick in the 4-1 win over Dijon last month. The 26-year-old was enjoying a rich vein of form at Lyon in the previous campaign when he banged in 15 goals and provided two assists in 22 matches across all fronts.
The Moordrecht-born speedster deserves a lot of credit for averaging 3.7 shots, 1.9 key passes and 2.0 dribbles per game in the French top-flight last season. Depay also took care of the ball relatively well as he completed 78.8% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
The former Manchester United talent has justified his worth as a prolific goal-scorer in French football. However, the jury is still out on whether he can replicate those productive performances at the Nou Camp if Barca can successfully get the deal over the line this summer.
What Will The Dutch International Add To Ronald Koeman’s Team?
Depay can be a hard man to catch on the wide areas as he can use his blistering speed to get past his marker. He can also take up some promising positions in and around the opponent’s penalty box. The Dutchman can use his upper-body strength to hold the ball up and get others involved in the final third. He has also been a consistent goal-getter from the left side of Rudi Garcia’s attack.
The talented wing wizard can benefit from a switch to Barcelona in this off-season as it will give him a chance to compete for major trophies and could also propel him to take his game to another level. Depay will add a lot of pace and goals to Ronald Koeman’s attack that might be enough to help the Catalans reclaim their La Liga throne from Real Madrid next season.
At the moment, Depay is more than good enough to secure a regular starting berth at the Nou Camp. The 53-time Dutch international is primarily a left-sided winger but can even operate as a centre-forward or in the number ten role as an attacking midfielder if required.
At 26, the Lyon star is currently playing some of the best football of his career. Hence, there is no doubt that he will fancy his chances of striking up a fruitful attacking partnership with the likes of Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati in the upcoming La Liga season.
