Depay's Man Utd clause and "unfinished business" claim as Barcelona exit nears

Memphis Depay failed to make the grade during his two-year spell at Manchester United but clearly showed enough talent in the eyes of former Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho.

Brought to Old Trafford for a transfer fee of £25million by his fellow countryman Louis van Gaal in 2015, he soon upped sticks to Lyon just two years later after a string of underwhelming displays in a United shirt. Four years at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais saw Depay's reputation enjoy a complete revival.

The Dutchman went from Premier League flop to highly sought property, proving Mourinho right to insert a buy-back clause into Depay's Lyon contract due to the amount of potential the Portuguese coach clearly thought the forward was in possession of.

However, as has been all too common from the United hierarchy in recent years, the Red Devils made the mistake of not triggering it at any stage before failing to bid for the player once it became clear he would be leaving Lyon or even make contact with Depay once his deal had expired in France.

United's loss was Barcelona's gain, as the La Liga titans confirmed a deal had been struck with Depay to bring the Netherlands international to the Camp Nou. In the process, any chance United may have had to activate their buy-back clause was gone as it became null and void at the end of his Lyon contract.

However, due to their perilous financial situation, Barcelona are now seriously exploring the idea of cashing in on Depay to balance the books after years of mismanagement left the club crippled. The forward is hardly short of potential suitors, but it may be worth United's while trying to oversee a reunion with the former PSV man.

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According to former Arsenal icon Robert Pires, Depay still has some "unfinished business" to attend to at Old Trafford. Speaking to Bwin in 2019, the two-time Premier League winner contemplated the idea of a second spell at United for the then-Lyon man.

"I think Depay wants to come back to the Premier League and he feels he has unfinished business in England," Pires claimed. "It didn't work out for him at Manchester United and Depay is a very proud player.

"He perhaps feels he wasn't given a chance to perform and earn the right to stay longer considering he was so young and showed glimpses of undoubted potential.

Pires admitted there is a chance Depay would favour joining one of United's direct rivals as a form of revenge, which could work in the favour of Tottenham who are thought to be interested as a replacement for the departing Steven Bergwijn.

"Depay might want to return to Manchester United or he might be motivated to prove them wrong by performing for one of their rivals in the Premier League," the former Ligue 1 star added.

United could look to capitalise on Barcelona's economic hardship by securing a reunion with Depay under the guidance of another Dutchman in new boss Erik ten Hag.