Barcelona unlikely to sanction the exit of Atletico Madrid target before January 29

Atletico Madrid have recently expressed their desire to sign Memphis Depay. The Barcelona striker has emerged as a potential replacement for Joao Felix, who is on the verge of joining Chelsea on a loan deal.

Atleti are confident they can convince Depay to leave Camp Nou in favour of a move to the Civitas Metropolitano. The club from the capital have already made contact with Barcelona over a potential move for Depay, who has struggled to make a name for himself under Xavi.

However, according to SPORT, Barcelona have no desire to sanction the sale of Depay until the end of the month. This is because the club are devoid of proper goalscoring options due to the suspension of Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish international is currently serving a three-game ban in La Liga that started in the game against Atletico Madrid. Lewandowski’s suspension was set to begin against Espanyol, but a decision from the Central Contentious Court of Madrid delayed the ban.

Nevertheless, Barcelona will not be able to utilise the services of the former Bayern Munich superstar for the upcoming La Liga matches against Getafe and Girona, which will be played on January 29.

Meanwhile, Ferran Torres is also set to be suspended following his red card against Atletico Madrid over the weekend, further weakening Barça’s attacking options.

During this period, the only options for the No. 9 role available at the disposal of Xavi are Ansu Fati and Depay, who is by far the most experienced and reliable option in the position.

As such, Barça have no intention to sanction the sale of Depay until the end of the game against Girona, meaning Atletico Madrid might have to wait until the end of the month to land their man.

Barcelona are not expected to look for a replacement for Depay as such, given the fact that the Dutchman was already playing a fringe role in the first team. Xavi will have enough options in the attacking unit, once Lewandowski is back in contention.