Tottenham Hotspur preparing £17 million offer to sign Barcelona star: Reports

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly preparing a proposal of £17 million for the services of Barcelona forward Memphis Depay in the ongoing transfer window.

Depay, who is in the final year of his contract at Camp Nou, has been rumored to depart Barcelona this summer. With Blaugrana head coach Xavi Hernandez reshaping his frontline and the club in need of urgent cash, the player is expected to be offloaded.

According to journalist Ekrem Konur (via Fichajes), Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has identified the player as the one to add to his attack.

Depay joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Olympique Lyon last summer. The 28-year-old netted 13 goals and provided two assists in 38 matches across all competitions last season. Prior to that, he had registered 34 goal contributions in 40 matches for Lyon during the 2020-21 season.

The Fichajes report also stated that Conte has been a long-time admirer of the Dutchman and had pursued him during his time at Inter Milan.

However, Depay has reportedly expressed his disinterest in leaving Barcelona this summer, according to SPORT.

Earlier this month, the Blaugrana secured the signings of forward Raphinha, midfielder Franck Kessie and defender Andreas Christensen. The club are currently close to finalising a €50 million deal for Bayern Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski (via Fabrizio Romano).

Barcelona are also close to completing the signings of Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, as per MARCA.

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Paul Merson rates Tottenham Hotspur's summer transfer window so far

In his column for Sportskeeda, former player and pundit Paul Merson evaluated the summer transfer window activity of the north London club.

Tottenham have made five signings so far. They include Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Clement Lenglet. As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, they are also set to sign Djed Spence.

Hailing Spurs' transfer window, Merson wrote:

"Tottenham have had a very good transfer window so far. I'm not too sure about Richarlison, and I'd play Kulusevski ahead of him. They're in the UEFA Champions League and have more games to play this season, so in that sense, Richarlison ticks a box."

He added:

"Yves Bissouma is an unbelievable signing for them. I've seen him boss the midfield for Brighton, and they aren't nearly as consistent as Spurs. I'm a massive fan of Ivan Perisic. He's a top-draw player, and he works his socks off. Antonio Conte knows him well, and the fans will love him because he's a hard-working player."

Tottenham Hotspur will open the 2022-23 Premier League season at home against Southampton on August 6.