The Dutch international wanted to join hands with the old boss at Barcelona, but Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas denies any move-out.
According to Lyon’s president Jean-Michel Aulas, Memphis Depay will not be able to leave the club in the January transfer window. The Dutch international was close to moving to Barcelona during this summer. However, the deal could not go through and Depay started his new campaign in Ligue 1.
The Catalan club and Lyon have been involved in negotiations ever since. And Ronald Koeman desires to get his countryman to Camp Nou. Moreover, Lyon head coach Rudi Garcia joked that he would tackle Koeman to keep Memphis in his team.
The 26-year-old, though, suggested that he could potentially leave the club to play elsewhere for the rest of the 2020-21 season. But this will not be possible anymore. This is following Aulas’ comment to not sell any star players until the end of the season. Lyon subsequently missed European qualification last season after Ligue 1 was cut off. Nevertheless, the chief now wants to see his club prosper to recoup from all the sufferings.
“We have a lot of internationals for different countries, including Memphis, who is a leader,” Aulas told RMC Sport.
“Memphis, I’m not in love with him. But I think he can bring to Lyon a dimension that everyone wants the club to have. But, no, we are seemingly not going to keep him [at the end of his contract].
“I was the first to say he would not go to Barcelona. Nobody listened to me during the transfer window because everybody thought he would leave.
“There is not only Memphis but also Houssem Aouar and Moussa Dembele. From the start, I told you, they will not leave because, in a year when we were unfairly deprived of European football. We absolutely have to make a success of the season. So he will stay.”
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