Barcelona star Memphis Depay inching closer to Atletico Madrid transfer

Barcelona do not have the best history with transfers involving Atletico Madrid in recent years. The signing of Antoine Griezmann is the first that comes to mind, but there are similar transactions in the opposite direction that are a testament to the statement.

The last two times Barcelona gifted Atletico Madrid a striker, the story did not end well. Both Luis Suarez and David Villa guided Los Rojiblancos to league titles in their first seasons at the club, beating their former club in the process.

Thus, it is not surprising that the discussion between the two clubs over Memphis Depay’s transfer is raising several eyebrows. MARCA, however, report that the Blaugrana are not allowing the historical perspective to play any role.

The Spanish outlet suggests that Memphis Depay’s speculated move to Atletico Madrid is progressing faster than ever. Diego Simeone has made the Dutchman his priority in the ongoing window and the deal could be closed in the coming days.

The Colchoneros see Depay as a replacement for Joao Felix, who left the club on a six-month loan to Chelsea. In addition to the desired profile, the Dutchman also fits their needs on the financial front.

The former Lyon player has less than six months left on his contract at Spotify Camp Nou, making him available for a budget sum. His contractual situation coupled with his lack of minutes under Xavi Hernandez this season made him a viable target for the Madrid-based side.

The 28-year-old scored 76 goals for Olympique Lyon in 178 games before his move to Spain. Last season, he found the back of the net 12 times but has seen less than 120 minutes of action in La Liga in 2022/23.

Barcelona were linked with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a possible recruit if Depay leaves, but the Chelsea striker’s return to Camp Nou is not possible because of RFEF regulations.

So, it will be interesting to see if they look for other attackers to replace the Dutchman or decide to make use of his departure to register the new contracts of Gavi and Ronald Araujo.