Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has received a boost in his pursuit of signing a forward with Barcelona set to confirm their intentions to sell Memphis Depay.
Ten Hag has confirmed his intentions to bolster the club's attacking options after Edinson Cavani was among multiple first-team exits while Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to depart Old Trafford this summer. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are the only remaining senior forwards in United's squad.
United have agreed an initial transfer fee with Barcelona for midfielder Frenkie de Jong and will not give up on a deal for the Dutch international, but have also been linked with a move for his club and international teammate Memphis as the two parties maintain a healthy relationship in negotiations. Barca will inform the forward that they intend to sell him ahead of the new season commencing.
Memphis spent an unsuccessful year-and-a-half at United before being sold by Jose Mourinho in January 2017, but the Portuguese boss admitted at the time that the forward may one day return to Old Trafford: "He didn't succeed in his 18 months but he's very young so I think it's important for the club to complete control of this talent and we all wish he plays very, very well at Lyon and why not to come back because everyone here likes him."
The Dutch international thrived at Lyon with 76 goals in four-and-a-half campaigns before joining Barca as a free agent a year ago. He bagged 13 goals in his debut season but faces limited game-time this campaign. Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski have all been signed by the Catalan club with Ansu Fati also returning from a long-term injury layoff.
Ten Hag admitted during a press conference this week that United need more attacking depth: "You need more options in offence. I think it's vital [United sign more players] if you want to get success because the season is really long. But we also still have time to fill that in."
Have Your Say! Should Man Utd consider a return move for Memphis? Tell us what you think here.
The Dutchman continued that the impact of the World Cup on this upcoming campaign would add further demands on his squad: "I also know this season we have a lot of games, the World Cup, so we need more options. We have a good team, but we need a good squad to get the right results at the end of the season."
A report in Sport claims how Memphis has rejected the opportunity to join Tottenham and has name-checked a return to United as a possibility. Capable of playing any of the front three attacking positions, Memphis would add much-needed depth and versatility to United's front-line and fit into their attempts of a dynamic, fluid attack.
Furthermore, Memphis is not a high-earner and is unlikely to command a high transfer fee – making him more attractive to United chiefs who are aiming to streamline their first-team squad and wage bill to a more sustainable model than in recent years.
Memphis would also cost significantly less than United's attacking target Antony of Ajax, with United boss Ten Hag keen to reunite with the 22-year-old. The Brazilian has told the Dutch giants he wants to be considered for a Red Devils move this summer but has a prohibitive £65million price tag.
