Memphis Depay has been linked with a Manchester United exit for some time now, and it increasingly looks like the best route for his career. Jose Mourinho has other options available and when given a chance, which is very rare these days, Depay hasn’t shown enough to convince Mourinho he should get more opportunities.
Everton have been the most linked club, largely due to the Ronald Koeman connection. The Dutch manager has made no secret of liking Depay as a player and with Everton being local to Manchester United, everything looks natural for a loan move to happen.
More recently there have been claims of interest from Russia, with Spartak said to be keen. Quincy Promes already plays for Spartak, and he’s friends with his compatriot Depay.
Russia’s SportFakt have been speaking to Alexey Safonov, who is a Russian football agent. Safonov doesn’t represent Depay but it’s quite common for other agents to be involved in deals in Russia, and even more common for them to insinuate they have inside knowledge.
On Depay, Safonov said: “In Manchester he sits on the bench, he’s an ambitious man. Surely Depay wants to play, and not look at football from the outside, even in England. Spartak will help him. With the club, I’m sure, Sparktak will agree.”
When it was put to Safonov that Depay may not fancy the cold in Moscow, he said: “Depay would freeze? In Moscow? That’s what you’re talking about?! He liked everything!”
Given Safonov’s answer, SportFakt asked if the Manchester United player had already visited the city, and so the agent of course dropped a hint of knowing more than he probably does: “That is precisely known only by those who are engaged in this transaction. But Promes spoke to him about Spartak and told him everything. And certainly it is a complementary assessment – and for the city as well as the club.”
Everton still seem, at this stage anyway, a likelier option for the Manchester United outcast.
