Memphis Depay has confirmed that he wants to leave Lyon at the end of the season - and has namechecked the five clubs he wants to join.
The Dutch international says that he wants to ditch the French side for one of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea or Bayern Munich, leaving former side Manchester United off his list of desired destinations.
The 24-year-old left Old Trafford two years ago this month for Lyon, having struggled to settle at the club after sealing a £25m move to England from PSV Eindhoven back in the summer of 2015.
However, he has since thrived at Lyon, scoring 22 goals in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side last season. Memphis has also become one of the key players in the Dutch national side, helping Netherlands to the Nations League semi-finals.
He still has 18 months remaining on his contract, but already appears to be plotting his next move elsewhere.
“Lyon is a big club, but not one of the five best in Europe,” Depay told Helden magazine. “I want to go to a club like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich.
“I want to go to a city that suits me and a club that suits me, to a team that really wants to play football.
“I always talk about Real Madrid, a royal club, white shirts with gold. But I’m focused right now on Lyon, and then we see where I end up.”
The terms of Depay’s transfer from United to Lyon saw the Premier League side include both buy-back and sell-on clauses and reportedly would have first refusal if the Dutchman is made available for transfer.
