As part of the plan to find an ideal Ansu Fati replacement, FC Barcelona already has a specific player in mind for the winter transfer window.
Ansu Fati’s injury placed Barcelona in a tricky spot for the upcoming winter transfer window. They won’t have one of their best players for the next four months and they urgently need to find a proper replacement. It’s pretty obvious that Memphis Depay is already paving the way for his arrival to Camp Nou after his most recent hint at an exit from Olympique Lyon.
However, we still hadn’t heard anything from the French club until today. The French squad’s GM, Gerard Houllier spoke to Telefoot via Diario Sport about the possibility of Memphis leaving. This recent statement hints at negotiations taking a new turn with the plan to seal a deal before the end of the soon to open winter transfer window.
But the plan to make this happen won’t be as easy as it seemed during the previous transfer window. There’s a number of things that need to happen in order to make Memphis’ arrival possible.
Barcelona needs to sell players first.
In order to convince Memphis Depay to arrive at FC Barcelona, the club needs to offload some of their players first. The interim board of directors has the authority to sanction this transfer as long as the club’s finances fit the profile.
There are several players that the club will attempt to sell during the winter transfer window. If they accomplish that before the deadline, there’s a good chance that Memphis Depay can leave Lyon and land in Barcelona. Houllier’s most recent statement suggests that negotiations between both clubs are ongoing but there is nothing certain as of yet.
“We will do everything possible to keep him, but it’s possible it doesn’t happen. This is football, we will see what happens. If his performances are just like they were before his injury, it’s very likely that other clubs come to sign him. But I do think Barcelona’s manager appreciates him quite a bit. Depay is very happy to be in Lyon, but Abidal was also here and he signed with Barcelona.”
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