Atletico Madrid have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay.
Having missed the majority of the first half of the campaign through injury, Depay is now back in contention for selection at Barcelona.
However, despite featuring in the recent Copa del Rey tie with CF Intercity, speculation persists that the Netherlands international could depart Camp Nou before the end of the January transfer window.
The playmaker now has less than six months remaining on his contract with the Catalan giants and there is little chance of a renewal being penned.
Nevertheless, while Barcelona are said to be willing to part ways with the 28-year-old, Depay is open to seeing out the remainder of his deal unless an attractive option is presented to him.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, that could come from Atletico who are said to hold an interest in signing Depay before the end of the month.
Atletico are in the process of making cutbacks due to their early exit from Europe and have already allowed Matheus Cunha to sign for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are also on the brink of paying a £9.7m loan fee to sign Joao Felix for the rest of the season, and Atletico's books will be further balanced if Felix pens a 12-month contract extension.
Nevertheless, the double departure leaves Diego Simeone with a void to fill, and it appears that Depay has been identified as a potential option.
Romano says that discussions are scheduled to take later this week in a bid to find a resolution for all parties.
However, despite Atletico said to be confident about eventually wrapping up a deal, it is suggested that they will consider other options.
Colchoneros currently find themselves outside of the top four in La Liga by a point, while they have also netted just 23 goals from their 16 fixtures.
Simeone's side are also on a run of collecting just four points from five games, the most recent of three defeats during that period coming at home to Barcelona at the weekend. body check tags ::
