Lyon give up on trying to convince Barça target Depay to stay

Olympique Lyon have failed in their bid to convince Memphis Depay to remain at the club. According to reports in France, Lyon's captain and star man is set on a move to FC Barcelona and won't extend his contract which runs out in 2021.

'L'Équipe' is the outlet reporting this news. Lyon and Depay had a poor return to action against Bordeaux (0-0) but Rudi Garcia said this was due to the international break. However, some believe Depay's poor performance was because his mind is on a transfer away and not his current club.

Depay is entering the final 12 months of his contract and the player's agents have told Lyon they won't pen an extension. Juninho Pernambucano, the club's director of football, has already said he would be open to letting Depay leave if a fair offer came in.

Barça have yet to make a formal bid for the Dutch forward as they are still weighing up their options with Lautaro Martinez. They also need to get rid of Luis Suarez before they commit to adding another striker.

One factor which is in Depay's favour is the fact Koeman personally asked for his arrival. He's also likely to be available for a fraction of the €65m Inter are demanding for Lautaro. With Depay free to sign a pre-contract in January, Lyon know now is the only chance they have to cash in on their captain.