90min

Barcelona Move for Memphis Depay Blocked by La Liga Over Salary Cap Breach

By Matt O'Connor-Simpson

Memphis Depay will have to wait until at least January to secure a move to Barcelona
Memphis Depay will have to wait until at least January to secure a move to Barcelona / Xavier Laine/Getty Images
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Barcelona were prevented from signing Memphis Depay on deadline day as his arrival would have put them over the La Liga salary cap. However, Barça are ready to restart negotiations in January.

The Lyon forward was being courted by the Blaugrana throughout the summer as they looked to bolster their attacking ranks following the departure of Luis Suarez.

Depay has started the 2020/2021 Ligue 1 season in fine form
Depay has started the 2020/2021 Ligue 1 season in fine form / Xavier Laine/Getty Images

A deal looked close to completion on Monday night, only for things to collapse at the last minute. Speaking on Catalunya radio show Onze, Oriol Domenech claimed that La Liga's salary cap was the reason for the deal falling apart.

Despite managing to move on a number of players the summer, including Arthur, Nélson Semedo, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic, Depay's arrival would have still put them in breach of the league's financial rules. This forced La Liga to step in and block Depay's registration.

Ousmane Dembele abortive move to Manchester United could have helped avoid this disappointment. The handsomely paid Frenchman was in talks to join the Red Devils on deadline day but no move materialised, which in turn made the Depay switch not possible.

This will have been particularly frustrating for Barça as it it understood that the two clubs had agreed an initial transfer fee of just €5m with 10 add-on clauses included as well. Depay has just one year left to run on his Lyon deal and the Catalan giants remain keen on landing him this season. It is expected that they will reignite talks with a view to signing the winger in January.

Depay has been a terrific servant for Les Gones since arriving at the club back in 2017. The Dutchman has registered over 100 direct goal involvements in 144 appearances so far, also helping OL reach the Champions League semi finals last season.