What's the story?
As reported by ESPN, Lyon and Netherlands forward Memphis Depay has dropped a huge hint on social media that he might be headed for a move to English giants Liverpool next season.
The 25-year-old teased that he might be leaving the French giants and hinted a move to the Reds of Anfield by posting a picture of him in a red suit, getting onto a red plane, with a caption 'Merci Lyon' ('Thank you Lyon' in French).
In case you didn't know...
Depay, who came throught the ranks of the Sparta Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven academy, first caught the public eye with his scintillatiing performances at the 2014 World Cup, where he became the youngest Dutchman to score at the World Cup, at the age of 20 years and four months.
He followed the then Netherlands coach Luis van Gaal to Manchester United for a tranfer fee of £25 million but had two torrid seasons at Old Trafford, failing to shine in the rigours of the Premier League. He move to French giants Lyon on a £15million deal from January 2017 and has been one of their standout players ever since, scoring 34 goals in Ligue 1 from two seasons.
The heart of the matter
French outlet Mercato had earlier reported that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp had sent scouts to France to watch the Dutch striker, who is also comfortable on the wings. Depay has been in eye-catching form this season, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists for Lyon across all competitions, helping them finish 3rd in Ligue 1.
He has been one of the cornerstones of a rejuvenant Netherlands side, scoring twice in 4 games to take the Oranje to the UEFA Nations League semifinals, where they are set to face England in June.
Depay's cryptic post on Instagram has sent the rumour mills into overdrive, with Liverpool fans taking the red colour of Depay's suit as well as the plane he is seen to be boarding, to hint an impending transfer to Anfield.
With Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge likely to move out of Liverpool in search of first team football, Klopp will be on the lookout for another attacker to complement his famed Salah-Mane-Firmino trio and Depay seems to have all the attributes to shine at Merseyside.
What's next?
Depay and Netherlands face England in the UEFA Nations League semifinal on 7th June, with kickoff set for 12:15 AM IST.