Manchester United's hunt for a striker is becoming increasingly desperate, laughable really, and those desperate times call for desperate measures.
Perhaps the most desperate measure they possible could have done, short of asking Edinson Cavani if he fancies another year in Manchester (but there's still time for that yet), is to try and sign Marko Arnautovic. 14 goals in Serie A last season is nothing to be sniffed at but yet another 30 plus, stop-gap striker is hardly the dawn of a new age that was promised with the arrival of Erik ten Hag.
That won't be happening, now, as United have pulled their interest in the Bologna man after backlash from supporters as well as the Italian side's stiff asking price. The other striker the club had been interested in, Benjamin Sesko, has instead chosen the far more sensible career path of joining RB Leipzig instead. So it's back to the drawing board, with just over three weeks left of the window.
ALSO READ: United withdraw transfer interest in Marko Arnautovic
Where should United look next? Well, perhaps looking into their past might help for a change. They say never go back but sometimes the opportunity is so tantalising, either to relive past glories or, in the case of Memphis Depay, to prove a point. To seek redemption. United could certainly, and tried to, do a lot worse.
Despite not paying the players they already have (with the Frenkie de Jong saga continuing to rumble on), Barcelona have somehow managed to sign Robert Lewandowski. Though if he can actually play for them remains to be seen.
Should the goal-scoring Pole be able to be registered, he will go straight in as Barcelona's main striker, which leaves former United man Memphis in a precarious position. He moved to Camp Nou, reportedly taking a pay cut after leaving Lyon to do so, just last summer for the same role but has already been made surplus to requirements and is the latest player the Catalonians have attempted to strong arm out of the door.
Reports suggest the Dutchman has been told to find a new club, with Juventus said to be the most interested party at present. Though it would still be a healthy profit since he signed on a free, a relatively meagre price tag of around £17million is what has apparently been slapped on the striker.
If Memphis is available at such a low price, then United should seriously consider making a move for their former player. Things obviously didn't go to plan for him at Old Trafford the first time around. He arrived with so much promise, failed to live up to it and was gone just 18 months later.
But in the five years since he has matured into a player capable of captaining sides and grown into a versatile, tricky and effective forward. He may not have reached the heights that were expected of him but he is certainly a player who could be of great use to United.
In his four seasons at Lyon, Memphis tallied 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 appearances — a goal contribution every 1.4 games. An even better tally than what he got at PSV Eindhoven which was at 1.6. During his year at Barcelona, where he had 15 contributions in 37 appearances, that increased to every 2.4 games, although a sizeable portion of those appearances came off the bench.
Regardless, they are certainly better numbers than all of United's forwards, other than Cristiano Ronaldo, managed last season and it's clear that Memphis would add goals and a sizeable strength in depth across the side's threadbare forward line. You're certainly not gonna find such known quality any cheaper than the price Memphis is supposedly available for.
The 28-year-old also fits into Ten Hag's current strategy of signing players he either knows from Ajax or who have a strong connection to Dutch football, clearly in the hope that they will understand his methods easily which will lead to quicker implementation of them on the pitch. Memphis is also a versatile forward, who can play through the middle or on either flank, which will provide the flexibility and alternative options that is desperately needed.
They say you should never go back, but a move for Memphis almost seems to make too much sense for United this summer. It's a wonder they turned to Arnautovic before considering him, a player who is younger, better, fits into the manager's strategy and is actually available but it's been a while since United made any sense themselves in the market.
When they next bell Barcelona asking for a De Jong update, they may as well ask about him as well.
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