Ronald Koeman still wants to sign Memphis Depay for Barcelona and had Georginio Wijnaldum on his ‘list’

Renewed bids could be made in January for the Dutch duo

Memphis Depay is wanted by Barcelona (AFP via Getty Images)

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed he had hoped to sign Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum over the summer, while Lyon forward Memphis Depay is still an active target.

The Catalan outfit underwent an on-pitch restructuring of sorts over the summer, managing to keep hold of Lionel Messi by force rather than reasoning but offloading Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic.

The appointment of Koeman as head coach led to him signing Sergino Dest as right-back cover, a player the ex-Netherlands boss knew from his time with the national team, and he was keen on bringing in further compatriots.

One-time Manchester United forward Depay was seemingly top of that list, and although the deal was close at one point, Koeman still aims to complete the deal in future, whether that’s in January or next summer for free.

"Hopefully, we will have a second Dutchman in the squad," he said to NOS (via Goal) regarding Depay.

Despite a natural gravitation toward players he is familiar with, Koeman doesn’t see a problem with bringing more Dutch players into the squad, saying it’s far fewer than Louis van Gaal brought in in the late 90s.

"Georginio Wijnaldum was on my list [too]. [The Van Gaal era] was extreme. I don't think you can compare that with the current situation.

Like Depay, Wijnaldum is out of contract next summer with Liverpool, but there was no confirmation from Koeman that he would continue the chase for the midfielder.