Getty Barcelona new signing Memphis Depay
Barcelona new signing Memphis Depay is not yet back in pre-season training yet with the Catalan giants, following his exploits at Euro 2020 with the Netherlands, but is working hard while on vacation.
The Dutch forward has shown how he’s been working out in unusual style on social media. Depay has been training underwater with his very own Barcelona branded football.
Underwater training 🧘🏽♂️⚽️
The 27-year-old became Barca’s fourth signing of the summer in June when the club confirmed he had agreed to sign a deal until the end of the 2022-23 season. Coach Ronald Koeman is being tipped to start the season with Depay, Lionel Messi, and Sergio Aguero as his first-choice attack.
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Memphis Took Pay Cut To Join Barcelona
Barca’s financial problems have been well-documented this summer and have seen the Catalans bring in three free agents in the shape of Depay, Aguero, and defender Eric Garcia. Depay also reportedly took a 30% salary cut from the initial terms he agreed, according to Ruben Uria and Adria Soldevila at Goal.
Depay was initially offered €7 million-a-year with the deal also including a “number of performance-related variables.” However, the club had to amend the offer and were “unable to offer any more than €5m” due to La Liga’s salary cap.
The Dutch forward has made it clear he wanted to move to Barcelona to play for Ronald Koeman. He told reporters in June, “Everyone knows that I have been linked to Barcelona for a long time and that I want to play under Ronald Koeman.”
Depay Defends Man Utd Spell
Depay heads to Barcelona after previous spells at clubs including Lyon, Manchester United, and PSV Eindhoven. The forward has recently defended his spell at Old Trafford where he failed to impress under then-manager Louis van Gaal in a documentary, as reported by The Mirror.
“They say, in Manchester I flopped. But let’s go, man. I drive a Rolls Royce, this is my life. I was not given anything, I have earned it all with both feet. I am not good, I am not bad. Just don’t forget to check my past, check my scars,” he said. “I am a lion, I am a king. I have fashion in my blood and only big dreams. I don’t care what people think about me. It is my life and if I am the black sheep, so it is. I do what I want anyway.”
Depay moved on to French side Lyon in 2017 and was a hit, netting 76 times in 178 appearances for the Ligue 1 club in four-and-a-half seasons. The forward scored 22 goals last season and produced 12 assists as the team finished in fourth place in the Ligue 1 table.
The Dutchman also became a key player for Netherlands during that time and thrived when Koeman was in charge of the national team, scoring 11 goals and producing 11 assists in 18 games under the Dutch coach.
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