Ronald Koeman talks Depay signing, Messi renewal, Dembele injury

With the pre-season for the 2021/22 campaign set to start in less than a month, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is back in Catalonia after spending some time in his homeland following a gruelling 2020/21 term.

In what was his first season in charge of Barcelona, the Dutchman did lead the Blaugrana to a Copa del Rey trophy. But the La Liga campaign ended on a whimper as they finished outside the top two behind rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

However, ahead of the new season, things are looking up for Barcelona, with the Catalan giants having already made as many as four new signings this summer. Indeed, having brought in Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson, the Blaugrana confirmed the arrival of Memphis Depay this past weekend.

The 27-year-old is yet another player that arrives on a free transfer and Koeman, who had been pushing for his countryman’s transfer since arriving at Camp Nou, spoke about his arrival. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the Barcelona manager said: “Memphis is signed, yes. It’s a very good signing like Kun and Eric García.”

While the incomings are definitely a good sign for Barcelona, question marks continue to linger over the future of captain and superstar Lionel Messi. The 33-year-old, who is currently away on international duty with Argentina in the Copa America, is yet to pen a new deal with the club.

But Koeman insisted that discussions were ongoing. “I don’t know, the club are trying to reach an agreement because for the future of Barça his continuity is very important,” the Dutch tactician said.

Amidst all the positivity, there has been some bad news for Barcelona as star forward Ousmane Dembele has picked up a fresh knee injury, which has now ruled the Frenchman out of the UEFA Euro 2020.

Reacting to the news, Koeman said: “I can’t say much about this because it’s bad luck that he’s injured. These are things that must be accepted and analyzed, but now we are on vacation and thinking about the next season.”

Dembele’s future at Camp Nou has been a subject of speculation due to his contract situation. Whether the injury has any impact on the transfer plans for the Catalan giants remains to be seen. For now, Koeman is back in Barcelona and will start chalking out plans for the upcoming campaign.

Read also: Opinion: Memphis Depay can take the Barcelona attack to the next level