In a recent appearance on the All For United channel, journalist Graeme Bailey claimed he wouldn’t rule out Manchester United making a late move for Memphis Depay.
With the speculation over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future still circling, it is not surprising the Red Devils have been linked with moves for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang, Moussa Dembele and Depay.
While it looks very unlikely Erik ten Hag’s side will sign the former two, they could still be in for Depay, who previously played at the club before he moved to French giants Lyon and then Barcelona most recently.
At the time of writing, nothing is concrete as Ronaldo remains at Old Trafford, but during a recent video of the All For United YouTube channel, Bailey claimed he wouldn’t rule out United moving for Depay as he is still on their list.
Bailey said: “United do like Depay, he’s in there. And I wouldn’t rule it out, I really wouldn’t.”
TIF Thoughts on Depay to United…
If United do end up losing Ronaldo before the deadline, it makes perfect sense for them to pick up a player like Depay, despite it being classed as a ‘surprise’ potential move. He is a talented forward who can play anywhere across the frontline, which will help with depth.
Despite his first stint in the Premier League not going completely to plan, finishing with just seven goals and six assists in 53 appearances, he has since improved a lot as he picked up 76 goals and 56 assists for Lyon in 178 games and most recently picked up 13 goals last season for Barcelona (as per Transfermarkt).
He also ranks in the 97th percentile for progressive carries, in the 95th for shot-creating actions and in the 93rd for progressive passes per game compared to other forwards in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (as per FBref).
While it is currently unknown whether United will look to bring the Dutch international back to Old Trafford, it was reported in May that the Blaugrana were only looking for €20m (£17.1m) for his services. However, it is going to be a longshot, as Sky Sports recently reported United are not going to be bringing in any more players before the deadline. You never know with football, though, so we will have to wait and see.
Should United go for Depay?YesNo |