Tottenham 'have asked' about £17.1m star who's 'beautiful to watch' amid club's financial woes

Tottenham ‘have asked’ Barcelona about the possibility of signing Memphis Depay, according to Spanish publication Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The two clubs have recently been negotiating over a season-long loan deal for centre-back Clement Lenglet.

It was only last summer that the Catalan giants signed Depay on a free transfer after he reached the end of his Lyon contract, but it’s worth noting that they are in dire straits financially, operating under €1.3bn (£1.12bn) of debt.

Depay has previously had a stint in English football, of course, making a £25m move to Manchester United back in 2015.

However, it didn’t go to plan for the forward at Old Trafford, who left to join Lyon for an initial £16m two years later after scoring just seven goals in 53 appearances.

The report from Sport (via Sport Witness) states that the possibility of a move for Depay has arisen in the course of the talks over Lenglet.

Tottenham’s enquiry was met with a valuation of €20m (£17.1m) from Barcelona, where the 28-year-old would ideally like to stay, but his representatives have been told that they can find him a new club.

If the Dutchman were to leave Camp Nou, he’d want a move a Champions League outfit such as Spurs.

It seems that Barcelona may be selling Depay out of necessity, rather than dissatisfaction with his performances. Indeed, he bagged 12 La Liga goals last season, having only started 20 games – on average, he was netting one every 152 minutes.

No Barcelona player scored more goals in 2021/22, with Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finishing level at the top of the club’s standings.

Depay offers Conte versatility, able to operate as both a centre-forward and a winger. As a number nine, he is stylistically similar to Karim Benzema