Everton are preparing a January loan bid to rival AS Roma for the signature of beleaguered Manchester United winger Memphis Depay.
The Liverpool Echo report that Everton are considering a January move for Manchester United winger Memphis Depay. The Toffees are reportedly prepared to approach the Red Devils with a loan bid for the outcast in the winter transfer window in order to add the 23-year-old to their attacking options.
Everton went through a change in ownership in the summer, with new investor Farhad Moshiri aiming to make the blue half of Merseyside one of the top-tier teams in England. Ronald Koeman was appointed as the new head-coach and although the former Southampton boss started the season strongly with the Toffees, their momentum has been arrested by the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea last weekend.
Koeman has the backing of the board and Moshiri has promised to back the manager in the market. Memphis Depay arrived at Manchester United with great potential but has failed to replicate his PSV Eindhoven form, showing only glimpses of his talent at Old Trafford.
With the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the new Manchester United manager, Depay has seen game time reduce drastically. The Dutchman has played a largely underwhelming 20 minutes of Premier League football out of a possible 990.
Koeman is reported to be a long-term admirer of Depay and was interested in securing a transfer for the player during his Southampton reign. However, he was beaten to the winger by his counterpart Louis van Gaal. The Toffees head-coach believes he can get the best out of the 23-year-old and is prepared to hand the winger a Premier League lifeline.
AS Roma have also been interested in the winger and it would be interesting to see how Manchester United respond to the interest. The Red Devils are rumoured to be prepared to part with Depay, but it is questionable if they would let Depay go to Everton, who have themselves emerged as a strong candidate for the top four spot in the Premier League.
However, Mourinho has shown before that he is open to selling a player that does not fit his plans to a rival if the money is right, as he did Juan Mata when he was at Chelsea, and he may allow Depay to move to Everton if the Toffees can make the right offer.
Memphis Depay is indeed an exciting talent in the world of football and one would hope the player is able to find his feet quickly, be it at Manchester United or another club.
