Juventus make lucrative offer for Barcelona target Memphis Depay
By Tom Gott
Juventus have offered Lyon winger Memphis Depay a more lucrative contract than the one which has been proposed to him by Barcelona.
Barcelona recently lost out on Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who had been expected to head to Camp Nou until PSG rocked up with an enormous contract at the final second, and it led to them improving their offer for Depay to try and ensure the same thing doesn't happen again.
While it was initially thought that the latest offer had a higher salary, Mundo Deportivo state that Barcelona simply proposed a longer contract to Depay, who has the chance to commit to the club for three years, with an option for a fourth.
With Barcelona not budging on money, Juventus are now understood to have swooped in and offered Depay a deal worth around £2.5m more than would be on offer in Spain, and Depay likes the sound of that.
Barcelona have made it clear that they won't be matching that fee. President Joan Laporta is trying to get the club's finances in order, and he has put a limit on the kind of money which can be offered to new signings this summer - at least until the high-earners in the current squad can be sold.
Despite their lower offer, Barcelona remain confident that they will be able to convince Depay to sign on the dotted line, even if the move has been 'placed on standby' because of Juventus' late bid.
It's suggested that it's Depay who has paused negotiations with Barcelona, and the Spanish side believe that could be because of his agent, who believes that a big performance from the Dutchman at this summer's European Championships could boost his chances of receiving more money later on.
Because of this delay, and the fact that Dutch boss Frank de Boer will not release any of his players for medicals until after the tournament, Barcelona are not expecting to get anywhere with this one any time soon.
Losing out on Depay would come as an enormous blow to current boss Ronald Koeman, who is now facing the very real possibility of missing out on two of his top targets this summer, Wijnaldum and Depay.
The ball is in Depay's court. He will be welcomed with open arms if he chooses Camp Nou, but if he decides he wants the bigger pay cheque like Wijnaldum did, Barcelona are not prepared to put up a fight.