Manchester United falling behind in race for Memphis Depay

According to reports, Manchester United have fallen behind in the race for Memphis Depay with Liverpool and Paris Saint German moving to the front.

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PSV Eindhoven director Marcel Brands told Fox Sports that the two clubs have been following up on their initial interest of Depay, while United merely made initial contact. Earlier reports had suggested United would be the likely destination based on the connection between Louis van Gaal and the winger, where both played a part in the Netherlands team at the World Cup.

According to Brands, Liverpool and PSG are the only clubs to have made their interest in Depay concrete while rumours of interest from Bayern Munich are false.

"“They [Liverpool and PSG] are indeed a step further than Manchester United. They have only made known their interest.“But Bayern Munich, as I’ve read, is not. It is logical that there is so much to do to him [in the press]. Memphis has a huge return for a young player. He must be very proud.”"

There’s two ways to interpret the news. Firstly, Brands and PSV could be generating transfer rumors to raise the asking price for Depay, meaning United would need to pay more. Second, the news could be true and United have shifted their focus to other big name signings, specifically Gareth Bale.

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If the news is simply Brands fabricating transfer news to drive up the transfer fee, I’d have to believe the truth would eventually come out and United would get Depay at a fair price. Tottenham had a £15m bid rejected last summer meaning the price will be somewhere in the mid £20m range. Given the young Dutchman’s current ability, combined with his potential to be world-class, that would be a fair price, almost a bargain.

Memphis represents a big jump in talent compared to the current United wingers, even with respect to Ashley Young who’s been our best winger this season. Aside from defensive statistics, Depay outclasses Young in goals (21 to 2), chances created (56 to 27), and take-on percentage (57.6 to 47.4). Granted, the Eredivisie has lower level competition compared to the Premier League but that doesn’t take away from the skill the 20 year old has shown, especially on the international stage.

The other side of the news is the belief that United have shifted their focus from Depay to Gareth Bale. Earlier this season, rumors had circulated linked the Red Devils with a move for the Real Madrid star. Most recently, United were reportedly sizing up a £100m bid to bring in the former Tottenham player.

Bale has had a troublesome season in Madrid this year, with the fans getting more and more impatient. His first season at the club was seemingly more productive, thanks to a much better showing in the Champions League. In Europe’s biggest stage last season, he scored six goals compared to this season’s two. That might not seem like a huge drop-off, but fans have taken notice.

While Depay has the better stats in comparison to Bale, you’d expect the Welshman to have a more significant impact on the Red Devil’s outlook for next season. Where the PSV winger might mean finishing in the top four once again and making it out of the group stages of the UCL, the Madrid winger has the ability to win us the league and give us a deep run in Europe.

In truth, the more likely side is that United have begun to pursue Bale, as he seems to be more of a United calibre player compared to Depay. That’s no knock on the Dutch player, Bale is just a proven talent and has the defensive ability due to his earlier days as a full-back.

Regardless, Louis van Gaal will need to sign one of the two in the summer if he wants to even consider challenging for the title.

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