Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed that he wanted to sign Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay.
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As soon as Koeman was confirmed as Barcelona boss he was linked with the two Dutch internationals. However, Wijnaldum remains at Liverpool, while La Liga blocked Depay’s move from Lyon due to Barcelona’s finances.
Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, Koeman said on the move for Wijnaldum, “Gini has a great sense of space, he can get to the goal fantastically well from midfield, he could really add something to the team, but the financial situation was known to the club, his position ultimately had less priority than, for example, the right back or the striker position.”
On Memphis, Koeman said, “We really wanted Memphis because he is a great player and because he has qualities that we lacked in my opinion.
“Memphis can be used as a starting point, but you can also send it away in depth. He is strong, dynamic, and can play both in the forward and from the left. I of course spoke to him about my ideas beforehand. In principle, everything was ready, but Because of the La Liga rules, we knew we had to sell a player first. In the end, it didn’t work out. Too bad, but Memphis also knew what the situation was. “
Koeman confirmed he will try to sign Memphis again this January, “That is certainly a possibility, yes. I will try, because I would like to have him there. But now I can not estimate what the financial situation of the club will be in January. That remains to be seen.”
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