Memphis Depay has reportedly seen one Barcelona escape route closing, according to a report by the Spanish daily MARCA.
Due to financial constraints, Serie A powerhouse AS Roma have decided not to sign the Dutch forward in January.
Memphis Depay is in a weird predicament at the club level. While the 28-year-old is at the peak of his powers, he is barely playing as much as he wants at FC Barcelona.
That is despite finishing his debut season as the joint-top scorer for Barcelona. But following the arrival of multiple attackers, the player has become a bit-part figure for the Blaugrana.
The Dutchman has managed only 131 minutes of game time across three appearances thus far this season.
That is less than the action Depay accumulated for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in less than a month. The former Manchester United attacker is thus eager to leave Barcelona in January. And a move to Serie A club AS Roma seemed likely.
Jose Mourinho does not have reliable attackers at his disposal. In particular, the AS Roma manager needs to sign more wide attackers, with the inconsistent Stephan El Shaarawy the only natural option for the flanks.
Depay had thus emerged as a viable target for the Giallorossi in the last few weeks.
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Recent reports had even claimed that talks between Depay and AS Roma had advanced.
Roma are in advanced talks with the agent of forward Memphis Depay over a move from Barcelona. (Sport) pic.twitter.com/lYhLjR7oRT
— Transfer News Central (@TransferNewsCen) December 8, 2022
The Serie A giants have also been in touch with Barcelona over the prospect of a January move. But they have now ended their interest in the 28-year-old for the time being due to his price tag.
Due to financial reasons, the Serie A giants have ruled out signing Depay in the January transfer window.
And the Dutch attacker is now in a pickle over his next destination.
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