Memphis Depay arrived in Lyon on Wednesday to seal a transfer from Manchester United where the winger struggled to settle.
Lyon tweeted a picture of Depay, saying he had flown in to discuss terms with the French club.
United has already agreed a transfer fee of around 25 million euros ($27 million) for the winger, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a transfer deal that has not been completed yet.
United manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday that Lyon’s offer at the time was “far from being reasonable.” But Lyon coach Bruno Genesio publicly stated that signing Depay was his priority in the January transfer window and he has convinced his club to raise its offer.
There were high expectations for Depay at United when he joined 18 months ago but the Dutchman failed to flourish in the iconic No. 7 jersey previously worn by George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 22-year-old Depay, who joined United from PSV Eindhoven in June 2015 for 31 million pounds (then $48 million), has only started one game this season in the League Cup since Jose Mourinho took charge.
Although United is taking a slight financial hit on Depay, it takes a big-earner off the wage bill. If Depay does manage to fulfil the promise once expected of him at Lyon, United has a buy-back option as well as sell-on clauses.
United has already offloaded Morgan Schneiderlin in the January transfer window, with the France midfielder joining Everton last week for an initial 20 million pounds ($25 million).
Please read our comment policy before commenting.