Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved confirms that the club are interested in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay this summer.
Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved has confirmed that the club are interested in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay this summer.
The 28-year-old has recently been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, just 12 months after joining the Catalan giants on a free transfer.
The summer arrivals of Raphinha duck Robert Lewandowskias well as the January addition of Ferran Torreshave seemingly pushed Depay further down the pecking order under the head coach Xavi.
Depay scored 13 goals and registered two assists in 38 games for Barca last season, but he has since been an unused substitute in their opening two La Liga matches of the new campaign.
It is understood that Depay is one first-team player who Barcelona are prepared to part ways with this summer to balance their books amid their well-documented financial problems.
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Juventus have recently emerged as a potential destination for Depay, who has just a year remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, and Nedved has confirmed that the Dutchman is one of several names on their shortlist.
Speaking to DAZN ahead of Juve’s goalless draw away at Sampdoria on Monday night, Nedved said: “Yes, Memphis is one of the players we’ve on the list – it’s normal to have many options.
“Depay can play with Dusan Vlahovic or in his place. He can also play with Moise Kean or be a winger, but he is only one of the names we are evaluating.”
When asked whether the Serie A giants will need to accelerate their pursuit of their top targets with only 10 days of the transfer window remaining, Nedved added: “We don’t need to speed up the process, that is never a good idea.
“We are evaluating, we are vigilant on what the market offers. We need to evaluate things carefully. Looking at the injuries and the formation, we are considering whether to go back on the market.”
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Deapy’s agent is understood to have held talks with Juve representatives over the weekend to discuss a deal for the forward, with a two-year contract believed to be on the table.
The potential departure of Depay from Barca would help the Catalan club in their quest to generate the €20m (£17m) they allegedly need in order to register summer signing Jules Kounde in time for their next league fixture.
Along with Depay, Marseille‘s Arkadiusz Milik, Bologna‘s Marko Arnautovic duck Chelsea‘s Christian Pulisic have also been linked with a move to Turin.
Juve are believed to be long-term admirers of Milik, and a recent report from Corriere dello Sport claims that Marseille have agreed to send the 28-year-old to the Old Lady on loan for a €2m (£1.7m) fee, with an €8m (£6.8m) option to buy next summer.
The Poland international, who has also been linked with Manchester Unitedimpressed in front of goal for Marseille last season, netting 20 times in 37 appearances across all competitions.