Memphis Depay may have created an opening for Liverpool to exploit in the summer transfer window with his admission that he and teammate Houssem Aouar wish to move to one of the ‘top three clubs’ in world football, as reported by football.london.
The latter has been linked with a move to Arsenal, however, Depay’s latest comments have likely stunted any plans Mikel Arteta had for a raid of the Ligue 1 club post-season.
“We know we play for a very big club but we want to go to one of the top three clubs in the world,” the Frenchman told Canal+. “Then you will see Houssem, he will get 10 times better. For me, it’s the same.”
Valued at £45m, according to transfermarkt, the 22-year-old would hardly represent the most expensive bit of business Liverpool have ever done.
Better yet, if the French midfielder can effectively fill in for Gini Wijnaldum – who is reportedly set to leave the club at the end of the season – a role some have claimed the Lyon man would be capable of, it represents a no-brainer as far as Liverpool are concerned.
Considering the state of global football finances, it’s possible that we could only expect the club to make a couple of major signings in the summer – without any big outgoings – with a centre-back being a huge priority if one isn’t brought in during the winter window.
Wijnaldum is not a player whose departure we will fail to notice; given how vital a role he plays for Jurgen Klopp, we’d expect his replacement to be around the top of the German’s to-do-list come the season end.