Memphis Depay will become a free agent on June 30 after he did not meet the requirements to trigger a contract extension with Atletico Madrid.
Memphis joined Atletico from Barcelona in January 2023, with the club saying the forward had signed “for the remainder of the (2022-23) season and two more seasons” — implying his deal ran until next summer.
But Memphis’ contract actually stipulated that he had to play at least 45 minutes in 50 per cent of the games when he was available, otherwise, the agreement was not extended for the 2024-25 campaign.
Memphis featured 40 times for Atletico after joining from Barcelona but started only 14 times, therefore falling below the required threshold. In those games, the 30-year-old registered 13 goals and two assists.
He also appeared to say goodbye to Atletico in a statement on social media on Sunday, writing: “Not easy to say how I feel about writing this message because I feel that things could’ve been very different. Maybe it’s better to keep that conversation for another time…
“To Atletico Madrid, my team-mates, the staff and especially the fans, I wanna thank you for the energy and support I’ve experienced in my time being an Atleti player. I keep the good memories close to my heart.
“Gracias. Aupa Atleti!”
Memphis is set to represent the Netherlands at the European Championship this summer after being selected in Ronald Koeman’s final 26-man squad. Koeman’s side play Canada and Iceland in warm-up games before facing Poland, France and Austria in Group D.
(Vincent Jannink/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Read the full article here