Catalan side Barcelona have given up on signing Inter striker Lautaro Martinez and are close to finalizing a deal for Lyon forward Memphis Depay, according to a report from Spanish media outlet La Vanguardia earlier today.
The report details how the Blaugrana have been incredibly keen to sign the 23-year-old Nerazzurri forward for some time now, but failed to pay his €111 million release clause back in July. Since then, the Milanese side have had no interest in selling the player and are likely to offer him a new contract before the start of the season.
Having given up on Lautaro, Barcelona instead decided to pursue Lyon’s Depay, the report continues. The 26-year-old Dutchman is set to be the replacement for the aging Luis Suarez, who has been linked with a move to Juventus. New coach Ronald Koeman is a fan of Depay and the Blaugrana are set to pay €25 million for the former Manchester United forward.