West Ham United believe they can sign Memphis Depay for free without Champions League
West Ham have made an approach to sign Barcelona star Memphis Depay on a free transfer and believe they can do it, according to Jacob Steinberg.
Amid the financial machinations at the Camp Nou they are trying to flog high earners because they haven’t currently got space to register all their new signings.
Netherlands forward Depay is one of the players on the way out despite only arriving after a successful period at Lyon a year ago, and has attracted interest from the likes of Juventus and Chelsea.
Steinberg writes in the Guardian that the 28-year-old is believed to prefer a move where he can play in the Champions League but the Hammers “believe they have a chance of signing him”.
The Catalan giants are prepared to let him go on a free transfer, and according to La Gazetta dello Sport Tottenham are also after him, as Barca are “in a hurry” to get rid of him.
West Ham have already signed Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo this summer, and recently added Maxwel Cornet from Burnley who can also play through the middle.
Ambitious
The activity in the transfer window started off in a fairly measure manner, albeit with slightly painful progress, as the club appeared to be ticking off one priority after another in order.
But as the summer has drawn on the business has got increasingly wild, with money flying in all directions and deals appearing then collapsing all over the place.
In that light it is perhaps not so much of a surprise that the Irons have made this ambitious bid, but it is hard to see why they are confident if Champions League football is a key factor and clubs who have it are in the race.
Chelsea seems unlikely but there is increasing noise around Juventus and Spurs, and it isn’t even as if there is a guaranteed place for him up front at the London Stadium unless the manager is ready to chance the formation.
The only thing that could push the club to the front of the pack is if they are willing to pay him the most money, and after the Sky Sports report that said a London club wanted to make him their highest paid player on £200,000-a-week that would hang together.
Whether it makes sense is another matter, with fans and potentially players legitimately able to ask why the club let Amadou Onana go to Everton with the complete opposite approach.
Granted, Depay is an established international rather than an emerging talent and a free transfer makes higher wages more viable, but the midfield giant is arguably far more important to this team’s set up since Scamacca arrived.