Chelsea explored the possibility of luring Memphis Depay away from Barcelona in the transfer window just gone.
What’s the word?
That is according to transfer insider Dean Jones, via GIVEMESPORT, who claims that the club failed in their attempts to lure the Netherlands international to Stamford Bridge.
The journalist understands that inroads were being made to prise Depay from the clutches of Xavi and Barcelona, respectively.
And although Depay opted to stay at the club, interest in the star was genuine.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “Memphis was one they explored for a lot of the day and they had to wait on his decision.
“Obviously, that came quite late in the day, but that was an ongoing saga which was genuine.”
Depay would’ve rocked Chelsea’s summer
Even with the signing of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Depay’s impact at the club would have been well received and ultimately, his impact would have rocked the club in what was an already impressive summer.
The 28-year-old possesses a completely different profile to the player we saw at Manchester United, having rebuilt his career as a deep-lying centre-forward at French Ligue 1 side Lyon.
131 goal contributions in the form of 76 goals and 55 assists in just under five seasons of football was enough to put him on the radar of Barcelona.
The Netherlands international endured a positive first season in La Liga, scoring 12 goals and chipping in with a further two assists in 28 appearances.
Considering his position as a centre-forward, his ability to get involved in the play is nothing short of mesmeric, with the star’s ability to operate in the manner of a false nine allowing for additional rotation in Xavi’s frontline.
He could have done the same for Tuchel by offering him a dimension that he has so desperately tried to create with Kai Havertz, who does not carry this role out as elegantly.
Depay’s average of 62.06 touches, 41.60 carries and 3.91 shot-creating actions make him an unorthodox yet dangerous threat and he could have single-handedly helped to solve Thomas Tuchel’s chance creation conundrum.
