Official: Depay signs for Barcelona until June 2023
Koeman now has the forward he wants. Depay signs for two seasons and is the club's fourth signing so far after Eric Garcia, Emerson and Agüero.
Memphis Depay is now officially an FC Barcelona player. The Catalan club announced the signing of the Dutch forward on Saturday evening. The 27-year-old joins on a free transfer after his contract Olympique Lyon expired and will remain at Camp Nou until June 2023. In a brief, 22 second video, which begins with shots of the impressive lion tattoo on the player's back, Barça welcomed the new arrival on board. The Azulgranas have not specified how much Memphis' buy-out clause has been set at, a factor which may have been the reason why negotiations took as long as they did. Memphis (who prefers to be called by his first name because his father abandoned him when he was a child) is Barça's fourth reinforcement of the summer so far, following recent arrivals Eric Garcia, Kun Agüero and Emerson.
Depay opts for two years rather than three
Depay joins on the express wishes of Barça coach Ronald Koeman, who had been pushing for his transfer practically since he arrived in the job and is convinced that the Dutch player will increase competition for a place in the side. Depay was initially expected to sign a three-year deal but in the end opted for two as a precaution in case Koeman leaves Barça next season. He is keen to be in control of his own future and if Barça end up deciding to extend the player's contract, they will have to negotiate new terms or run the risk of losing him on a free transfer.
An international with the Netherlands from the youth categories up to senior level, Depay started out as an amateur at Moordrecht. From there, he moved to Sparta Rotterdam and eventually, to PSV Eindhoven, where he made a name for himself, scoring 39 goals in 90 games. Manchester United signed him in the summer of 2015, but he never settled at Old Trafford (he scored just two goals in 33 games). After that, he signed for Olympique Lyon where he was a reference in attack and matured as a player; he leaves the French side with 63 goals in 139 appearances. He is one of the leaders in the national team and his move to Camp Nou comes just as he is in the peak of his career. Depay guarantees goals but also has many facets to his game. Koeman has total faith that he will be a success at his new club.