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Barcelona have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Thomas Lemar from Atletico Madrid in a swap deal involving Memphis Depay.
The Netherlands international was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2021 after his contract expired at Olympique Lyonnais. After scoring 12 times in 28 La Liga appearances in his debut season, Depay has completely fallen out of favor this term.
Manager Xavi Hernandez has handed him just 116 minutes of league football spread across two matches this campaign. The club wanted the Dutchman to leave for Juventus last summer and would have paid off his entire contract if he agreed.
However, Depay rejected the chance and stayed at Spotify Camp Nou. He has been linked with an exit this January, and it seems Atletico Madrid are eager to sign him by using Lemar in a potential swap deal.
As per journalist Gerard Romero on Twitch (h/t @JijantesFC), Barcelona are not interested in such a proposal. They will only want to sell the former Manchester United forward if they receive a financial offer.
This could be a risky strategy from Barcelona's end considering Depay is in the final six months of his contract. It seems unlikely that he will be offered a renewal considering how low he is in Xavi's pecking order.
This is despite the fact that the club lacks a natural backup for Robert Lewandowski. Lemar could also leave as a free agent in the summer and is just one year younger than Depay (28). The French winger has made just five La Liga starts this term.
On paper, this would seem like a fair deal to many. But it seems that the Catalan giants are more interested in raking in cash for the Dutch attacker.
Barcelona hero praises Real Betis after his Super Cup heroics
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was the hero for Barcelona as they beat Real Betis in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday (12 January).
Barca took the lead just before half-time via Robert Lewandowski but Nabil Fekir's 77th-minute goal sent the game into extra time. Ansu Fati scored three minutes after the game restarted for an extra half-hour.
Betis pushed for an equalizer and got it via Loren eight minutes later. The game went the distance, and Barcelona won 4-2 in penalty shootouts, courtesy of two saves from the German shot-stopper.
Speaking after the game, Ter Stegen gave due credit to Los Verdiblancos and said (h/t ABP Live):
"The match was super difficult, Betis made it tough for us. In the end, it’s about making it to finals, and we’ve made it. You also need some luck in the shootout, and this time it was on our side."
