Reports surrounding Liverpool’s rumoured interest in Memphis Depay have intensified in recent weeks as the transfer window swings into life.
The Dutch international has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in his career with Lyon following an ill-fated spell at Manchester United.
This season, Depay bagged 12 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Lyon.
This form has caught the eye around Europe, with Liverpool rumoured to have scouted him for club and country.
It’s a potential signing that’s currently dividing opinions on social media, but it remains unclear as to whether it’ll materialise.
But should Depay trade France for Merseyside, he could follow a similar career path to Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah.
Like Depay, Salah also endured an underwhelming stint in the Premier League with Chelsea before moving to Serie A.
It was there where Salah forged his fearsome reputation with Fiorentina and Roma before Liverpool snapped him up.
Depay has followed a similar path after leaving Manchester United in a slump to reinvent himself over in France.
In his 115 games for the club, he’s scored 39 goals and contributed 40 assists totalling 79 direct goal contributions.
Those really aren’t bad stats at all, and it proves that Depay’s quality has never been a doubt.
The position in which he plays is also similar to the role of Salah in being a versatile forward.
Although predominantly a winger, Depay is capable of playing anywhere along the front line.
This would provide Klopp with another option or adequate injury cover should Salah, Mané or Firmino get injured.
Many will scoff at the idea of signing Depay based solely on his time with United, but that’s perhaps naïve.
If that was the case, Salah would’ve been written off before he even got started at Anfield.
We all know how that played out, so maybe we should exercise the same logic with Depay here.
Sometimes, transfers come at the wrong time for both players and clubs: Depay’s move to United is proof of this.
So too was Salah’s move to Chelsea, but he went to Italy and grew into the player we now know.
This looks also to have been the case for Depay, as he has flourished and found his best form at Lyon.
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