Jose Mourinho not giving up on January pursuit of Barcelona forward

Barcelona return to action next week against Espanyol and will be without the services of Robert Lewandowski as he pays the price for his careless red card in the last game. Ousmane Dembele could also be unavailable as he could be given time to recuperate after participating in the World Cup final.

Despite this, Memphis Depay is unlikely to see any game time, with Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and Raphinha well-placed to start against Espanyol. Such is the situation of the Dutchman.

In light of his lack of playing time, several clubs across Europe remain alert to his situation. Of them, Roma and Newcastle are the most advanced with respect to a possible transfer in January.

According to reports from SPORT, Jose Mourinho is desperately pushing for Depay’s move to Roma. The Portuguese manager feels that the Dutchman would be the perfect complement alongside Paulo Dybala and help the Italian side regain their stature in Serie A.

There had been reports that talks were taking place between Roma and Barcelona over a move, although those rumours had gone quiet of late. But, it seems like Mourinho is not ready to give up on his pursuit of the forward whom he worked with at Manchester United in the past.

Another too club interested in his signing is Newcastle United. The Premier League side have made a €20 million bid for his signing but are yet to receive a decision from the player.

However, Depay is in no hurry to pack his bags. He is comfortable in spending the next six months at Spotify Camp Nou and walking off as a free agent with the freedom to sign for who he wants.

Furthermore, he feels that having signed for Barcelona as a free agent, he should leave the club in the same way. So, even though his value might drop if he does not play in the second half of the season, the Dutchman is prepared to take that risk and remain at the club.

Given his situation, the Blaugrana have not placed him on the market despite trying to sell him last summer. Depay will make a final decision over his future in the coming weeks, but a departure seems unlikely.