Jose Mourinho had openly admitted that both Morgan Schniederlin and Memphis Depay would be allowed to leave the club this January if acceptable bids were submitted, and now both have indeed left as Lyon have agreed a fee for the young Dutchman.
Depay arrived with a lot of expectation after starring for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie and putting in some promising performances for Holland at the 2014 World Cup, but his Manchester United career never seemed to get out of second gear.
After a positive start when he appeared to be building a good relationship on the left flank with Luke Shaw, Depay visible struggled for confidence and bar a few of standout performances in the Europa League, and with the rise to prominence of both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, it was always going to be difficult for him to break into the team from last Christmas onwards.
So now he will head to France as it has emerged that Lyon have agreed a fee of €25 for Depay, although Manchester United have managed to secure a buy-back clause just in case this chance of scenery leads to the Dutchman becoming the player many thought he would at Old Trafford.
#MUFC have agreed a buyback option on Depay as well as a sell on clause with Lyon, who will pay about £16m rising to £21.7m with add ons
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) January 18, 2017
Lyon have agreed a deal that could reach around €25million with Man Utd for Memphis Depay. United will have buy back & sell-on clauses
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) January 18, 2017
Depay to Lyon agreed. Worth up to €25m to United, depending on clauses being met.
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) January 18, 2017
That looks like a decent deal for Manchester United, as Depay's stock has certainly dropped over the past 12 months. In fact, it's hard to think of a single time that United have come off well in financial negotiations, as by securing add-on fees, a buy-back clause, and a sell-on clause, they have made the buying club work for a change.
The number seven shirt is now vacant at Old Trafford, and while that will make headlines easier when likes of Antoine Griezmann are inevitably linked over the next six months, whoever takes it next will have the added pressure of knowing that nobody has done it justice since Cristiano Ronaldo.
Still, it looks as though this is a decent bit of business for both sides, and Depay will now take his Instagram skills to the beautiful city of Lyon.
