Netherlands’ forward Memphis Depay will finally get a chance to wear Barcelona’s jersey after signing a two-year deal with the Catalan club. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
After weeks of a deal being “close” or “imminent,” Barcelona have made the signing of Netherlands forward Memphis Depay official.
The Catalan side made the announcement while the match between Germany and Portugal was taking place.
Memphis signed a two-year deal that will see him tied to the club until 2023. In addition, Barcelona placed a €500 million release clause.
The short length of the contract did raise some eyebrows but it’s thought that he’s tied himself somewhat to the continuation of Ronald Koeman. The Dutch manager has one year left on his deal and he’s the one that was pushing the club to sign Memphis.
In that regard, the player may want a smooth exit strategy if the manager is replaced and the new one doesn’t count on him. It could also let Memphis renegotiate his deal if his stint is successful.
The two-year deal also makes sense from the Barcelona standpoint. At the moment, they are saddled with players such as Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele. All players on long deals with high wages, which makes it difficult for the club to sell.
Memphis calls his move to Barcelona a ‘dream come true’
Memphis had a number of offers from other clubs such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. The player rejected those offers as his only goal was to join Barcelona.
He was close to joining on two separate occasions last season but with the club’s financial situation and lack of a president, coming to an agreement with his former club, Lyon, was almost impossible.
Now that his move is done and dusted, the hope from a Netherlands standpoint is he can finally put his full attention to the Euros. It’s something his manager, Frank de Boer, certainly expects.
“Maybe the transfer to Barcelona will give him something extra to help him perform at his best,” De Boer said.
Depay joins the Spanish giants after spending four-and-a-half seasons in Ligue 1. In his final season with Lyon, he found the back of the net on 22 occasions in all competitions.
