Chelsea: £158k-a-week star has 'come up in conversation' at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea target Memphis Depay would have come up in conversation in previous discussions with Barcelona, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

That’s because Blues duo Cesar Azpilicueta, who recently committed his future to Stamford Bridge and Marcos Alonso, have been heavily linked with the Nou Camp outfit.

According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Depay, along with teammates Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Thomas Tuchel has added three players to his squad this window in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, but the Blues boss is still hoping to bring in a striker before September’s transfer deadline.

Therefore, Chelsea are being kept ‘well informed’ on Depay’s situation, with Barcelona desperate to raise funds to improve their financial difficulties.

Depay joined the La Liga giants 12 months ago, but Aubameyang’s arrival saw his opportunities reduce from January onwards, with the signing of Robert Lewandowski likely to see his game-time decrease even further.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The thing is with Memphis, he’s being pushed in so many different directions, it’s hard to gauge what clubs have an actual interest and what clubs have been asked if they would be interested in signing him.

“The fact that he’s a Barcelona player and Chelsea have been in contact with Barcelona all summer mean that Memphis’ name would have come up in conversation.”

Depay’s poor record in English football suggests that Chelsea might want to avoid bringing him back to the Premier League, although since he left Manchester United he’s been mighty impressive.

He managed just two goals and one assist in 32 Premier League outings, which ultimately led to his Old Trafford exit.