Premier League club in London ready to make Memphis Depay their highest-paid player

Premier League transfers update

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A Premier League club based in London have made an approach to sign Memphis Depay from Barcelona, according to reports. The unnamed team are prepared to make the attacker their highest-paid player, sparking speculation as to which club has made the offer.

Sky Sports News report that one of the six clubs in the top flight that is based in London have submitted a contract offer to Depay, who could soon be available to sign as a free agent as he is negotiating a mutual termination of his contract with Barcelona.

West Ham and Tottenham have both been linked with the Dutchman in the transfer window, but the respective arrivals of Gianluca Scamacca and Richarlison means they have cooled their interest in recent weeks.

It is understood Arsenal and Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign the former Manchester United star but are not interested, with the Blues hoping to sign his team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang instead. But that deal could hinge on Depay’s future, with reports suggesting Barcelona will only let one of the two players leave.

That could leave the door open to their Premier League rivals based in the capital to land a potential coup. While a free transfer to West Ham cannot be ruled out as David Moyes is keen for more new signings, Fulham and Crystal Palace may be in a position to offer Depay a deal.

What is more, both clubs may be in a position to make good on the highest-paid player promise to Depay and break their wage structure to land a player of his reputation. Aleksandar Mitrovic is Fulham’s top earner on £60,000-a-week, while Wilfried Zaha is thought to take home around £130,000-a-week as Palace’s best earner.

Depay is paid around £200,000-a-week at the Camp Nou and may be expected to take a pay cut in order to secure a move elsewhere. But the former Lyon star would still be the highest-paid player at both of those clubs, while he could feasibly become West Ham’s highest-paid footballer if he were to head to the London Stadium.

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As it stands, Depay appears to be more likely to depart than stay. The 28-year-old is understood to be one of several players negotiating their exit from Barcelona as the La Liga giants scramble to offload players and reduce their wage bill.

However, the Catalan giants are aware of interest from Juventus and may be unwilling to sanction his departure for free when they can collect a fee for his services, with Depay under contract until 2023.

Without significantly reducing their salary expenditure, the Blaugrana cannot register all of their five summer signings including Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde. That means Depay, along with Frankie de Jong, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest and Martin Braithwaite, could all leave.

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