Barcelona freeze sale of striker, contract renewal in sight – report

Barcelona have decided to freeze all the operations for Memphis Depay as they themselves are uncertain about the new arrivals in the summer, claims Spanish news outlet SPORT.

It’s no secret that Barcelona will make heavy investment in reinforcing the offence. For that, a certain Robert Lewandowski is said to be on the top of the list, but if the movement fails, the team will count on the continuity of Depay.

With Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie already on the way, the current Barcelona roster is very much aware of what may happen in terms of finances. And while a few are certain to leave, there remains an unpredictability over the future of a few. This includes Depay himself.

But for now, Xavi has decided to stall the operations mostly due to Depay’s ability to cover multiple areas on the field. And so, if anything were to happen to Lewandowski’s transfer, the manager will rely on Depay to take his chance.

As of today, the Barcelona management is pretty much clear about Depay. They will either cash in on him entirely or will hand him a renewal if his destiny is to stay.

The Dutch forward has a contract with Barça until 2023 and if the team decides to go against the sale, they will hand him a new deal which will extend his stay for at least one more year.

It’s important to note that the 28-year-old made a lot of adjustments in terms of finances in order to move to Camp Nou. The team knows he isn’t one of the top earning members so an extension wouldn’t really be an issue. 

On top of that, the fact that even the player wants to continue is very much appreciated by the hierarchy. At the same time, however, they know he can churn a few million if they were to put him on market.

In that case, a fee in excess of €20 million could easily be pocketed since they know the likes of Arsenal and Juventus have already asked about him. 

Hence, all this makes June a vital month in knowing the future of the Dutchman.