- 18 Dec 2024
‘Your home is here’ – Lyon urge Memphis Depay to forget Barcelona
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
- 2 min read
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has told Memphis Depay that the best decision he can make for his future is to snub Barcelona.
Netherlands international Depay has been a priority of the Catalans since the summer. Indeed, he came close to moving to Camp Nou in October, but they were unable to make room for him in their squad.
His contract expires in June, allowing him to discuss terms of a free transfer as of last Friday.
Aulas, though, is hopeful that Depay may yet choose to stay in France.
“Lyon thank Memphis for all you have achieved as a football with our club,” Aulas tweeted. “You are at home here and you are also a man who has shown himself to be an example and to have great ambition.
“You can stay here as long as you wish!”
Aulas also quote a press conference in his post from December 15, in which Depay said: “I think 100% of Lyon.”
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Depay’s Lyon success
The Ligue 1 side have played a major role in resurrecting Memphis’ career after a difficult 18-month spell with Manchester United.
They signed the 26-year-old in January 2017 from the Red Devils for an initial fee of £16 million. He has subsequently played 155 times for Lyon, scoring 62 goals and assisting a further 47, making him a big favourite in the Rhone Valley.
In December 2019, the attacker suffered a serious knee injury. This complicated Lyon selling him in the summer of 2020 for a fee they felt justified his talents. Additionally, though, Depay has not come close to signing a new deal.
Lyon are unlikely to take the chance to sell him in January. Presently, they are top of Ligue 1 and with Moussa Dembele out for an indeterminate number of weeks with a broken arm, they would be risking their title challenge if they sold their prized asset.
Memphis’ future, though, likely lies away from OL.
