Lyon Prepping For Depay Exit, Awaits Big Offers From Barca

KEY POINTS

Lyon plays the waiting game on potential Depay exit
Barca has yet to make an offer for Depay
Depay could still remain with Lyon if he signs a contract extension

Memphis Depay is in the final year of his deal with Olympique Lyonnais and the 26-year-old is not short on suitors. One club that is closely monitoring the situation of the Dutch forward is FC Barcelona which is undergoing a major overhaul under the watch of new manager Ronald Koeman.

Though Barca has yet to make an official offer for Depay, Lyon sporting director Juninho knows that the Dutch player is in a position to control his fate. But for manager Rudi Garcia, it appears he is left clueless on what lies ahead for the club and Depay.

The only thing Garcia seems certain off is that Depay will still be part of the Lyons when they take on Bordeaux. From there, it will be touch and go with a speculated Barca deal looming in the air.

"We do not know," said Garcia via Goal. "He is good, he played with his national team, where he had a very good first game. He needs to play, that's good."

For now, there is no official offer from Barca. Juninho revealed via RMC Sport that no offer has been pitched. He added that the Lyons did try to offer Depay a contract extension but the 26-year-old wanted to take his time. In all, Depay's fate is in his hands.

"When a young player aged 26 has one year left on their contract and Barca are following him ... Memphis is in a strong position," Juninho said. "If an offer arrives, we will have to think about it," Juninho said. "We could keep him for another year as captain and lose him for free next year. The president could make an effort to extend [his deal], but I think it will be difficult."

With Suarez originally said to be on the way out, Koeman was believed to be looking for new players to add to the mix. Lautaro Martinez remains a target but Depay is also an option. Such stems from the revelation of the 26-year-old to leave the French side this transfer window as mentioned in a previous post.

For now, all Lyon can do is wait and see what Depay plans to do. A contract extension is not completely out of the picture but word is ripe that he wants to see what offers are on the table.