Barcelona ‘celebrating’ forward’s World Cup displays, believe transfer interest could shoot up | OneFootball

With the Round of 16 stages about to come to an end, Barcelona still have a significant number of players representing their respective national teams in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

One of them is Memphis Depay, who is becoming a crucial part of the Netherlands side that have secured qualification to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

According to a report from AS, the Barcelona camp is in a joyous mood lately over the performances of Depay and ‘celebrating’ the same.

They believe his return to prominence could boost up interest in the transfer market, thereby helping the club sanction his sale in the upcoming January transfer window.

This comes after Depay scored his first goal in the World Cup in the Round of 16 clash against the United States. The forward has performed rather well over the past couple of starts and is slowly starting to get back to his best.

Depay’s improving performances have not gone unnoticed and it appears Barcelona believe they can help the club get a better valuation for the Dutchman in January.

Depay, after all, is not included in Xavi’s plans at all, having fallen out of favour over the past four months. Thanks to the summer additions of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, coupled with the retention of Ousmane Dembele, the forward has struggled to carve out a place for himself in the first team.

Injuries have not helped his cause either, ultimately leaving him without much first-team action during the first half of the season.

Barcelona, therefore, are delighted with his recent performances in the World Cup. However, the report suggests there is one slight problem, as the club are still yet to find proper suitors for the former Lyon starlet.

Indeed, only Manchester United have shown concrete interest in the forward so far. This comes as a worry given the fact that the Red Devils are Barcelona’s opponents in the UEFA Europa League knockout playoffs.

Hence, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the forward in the coming weeks.