After a failed transfer to FC Barcelona, Memphis Depay has spoken very little to the media but he finally revealed the whole truth.
At this point, it’s no secret that Memphis Depay had every intention to become a Barcelona player ahead of the transfer window’s deadline. The Dutch forward had all his bags packed to make the trip and even Lyon accepted they could lose the player to the Catalan club.
Memphis wasn’t even expensive, as the French squad even agreed to lower his initial €25 million price tag to €18 million. However, Barcelona’s finances are terrible at the moment and they missed their window of opportunity. We’ve discussed the many mistakes that President Bartomeu has made during the transfer window. But we still haven’t talked about the real reason Memphis wasn’t able to become a Blaugrana star.
The reality is that he was a victim of Financial Fair Play rules that prevented him from making his dream come true. Depay received a personal call from Bartomeu himself, where he explained the situation. As it turns out, Dembele’s transfer was key for Memphis to come due to his elevated salary. UEFA’s rules are very clear, his wage expenses needed to clear in order to open a spot for another star to come.
Depay will try to sign during the winter.
The player refused to go into details during an interview with NOS, but he did mention something about those financial fair play rules.
“It was pretty close. We don’t need to go into all the details, but there were certain rules that prevented it unfortunately.
“But I believe everything happens for a reason. I now focus on Lyon and want to be important there again. We’ll see how things are going again afterward. If I do my thing, the interest may still be there. I just have to switch that switch now.”
Aulas also expressed the player’s disappointment: “Today, he is disappointed, but not towards Lyon, more towards Barcelona.
“He is going to do everything he can to find himself in a position where he moves there in January. I have not abandoned the idea of extending [Depay’s] contract, but as he has always said no, it looks difficult to do.”
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