Juventus join Barcelona in race to sign Lyon's Memphis Depay

Juventus are contemplating a January bid to sign Lyon forward Memphis Depay ahead of long-term admirers Barcelona.

Depay, who will be out of contract at the end of the season, was high on the wish list of Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman during the summer, but the Spanish side were unable to free up space in the squad to land Depay before the window closes.

They are expected to renew their interest in January, but the problem is that Barcelona will not pull the trigger on any transfers until after the presidential elections, which will not be held until January 24.

With Barcelona delaying their pursuit of Depay, Tuttosport claim that Juventus have entered the race for his signature and are looking to get a cut-price deal done before Barcelona spark back into life towards the end of the month.

Depay is said to be offering his services around at the minute to ensure he finds a new club by the end of the season. Reports elsewhere have thrown Paris Saint-Germain into the mix, but it seems as though this is a two horse race between Juventus and Barcelona.

While Barcelona have long been the favourites, their inactivity could see them lose out. Francesc Aguilar states that Lyon are growing tired with the lack of response from Barcelona and they are now looking to get a deal done elsewhere.

Calciomercato add that Depay is open to the idea of moving to Juventus, where he would be happy to take up more of a reserve role behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala.

It is suggested that Lyon are keen to sell Depay in January instead of allow him to walk away for free at the end of the season. However, Lyon currently sit top of Ligue 1, so to see them accept pocket change to sell him now would be a bit of a surprise.

Depay has played a large part in Lyon's rise to the summit of Ligue 1, racking up eight goals and four assists in 17 appearances. He has captained the team in each of his 13 starts and clearly still remains a core part of the squad.

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