Tottenham Hotspur are not interested in a deal to bring Memphis Depay to north London this summer.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by Italian media outlet SOS Fanta (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite a number of reports linking Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici with a move for the FC Barcelona centre-forward this summer, Tottenham are not currently interested in a deal for the 28-year-old attacker.
The report goes on to state that the Netherlands international now appears to be closing in on a switch to Juventus, with the Serie A side said to have offered the Dutchman a two-year deal with a salary of around €7m (£100k-per-week).
Big mistake
While it is true that Conte does have a wealth of options in attack, something that Paratici has already boosted with the £60m addition of Richarlison, considering just how impressive Depay was for Barcelona last season, in addition to the fact that the striker is reportedly available to sign on a free, the argument that it would be a mistake not to launch a move for the 28-year-old this summer is a relatively easy one to make.
Indeed, over his 28 LaLiga appearances in 2021/22, the £31.5m-rated forward scored 12 goals, registered two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.
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These returns saw the £158k-per-week talent average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.26, not only ranking him as Xavi's joint fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 10th-best player in the Spanish top flight as a whole last time out.
For comparison, over Lucas Moura's 34 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated forward scored two goals, provided six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.1 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.6 dribbles per fixture.
These returns saw the £80k-per-week talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Conte's 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football last time out.
As such, while it is true that Moura created more goalscoring opportunities than Depay last time out, with the 28-year-old scoring more goals, taking more shots and completing more key passes than the 30-year-old, it is clear to see that the Dutchman is a much more rounded attacker than the Brazil international.
And, with Moura having been linked with a move away from the club this summer, it would appear as if Paratici could have moved the former Paris Saint-Germain winger on before launching a move for Depay as his replacement in Conte's side.
However, with it now looking as if the 28-year-old who Liam Canning dubbed "unreal" is set for a move to Juventus, the Spurs sporting director seems to have missed a perfect opportunity to secure a big upgrade upon Moura - a mistake the Italian could very easily come to regret over the course of the club's 2022/23 campaign.