Manchester United Transfer News: Memphis Depay Green Light, Latest on Marquinhos

PSV Eindhoven director Toon Gerbrands has confirmed the prolific Memphis Depay can depart this summer.

"We decided to keep hold of him in January," said Gerbrands, per Jamie Sanderson of the Metro. "But he has the option to leave after this season." This follows on from previous comments made by PSV boss Phillip Cocu, who told Sport Express (h/t Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News): "Yes, I think he's going to leave PSV after this season."

Naturally, Manchester United are being touted as the most likely destination for Depay, per Sanderson. Louis van Gaal introduced the 21-year-old to the World Cup stage during his tenure as Netherlands boss last summer, a tournament in which the youngster scored two goals.

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Football writer Elko Born suggests United will have competitors for his signature, however:

Born details how LvG has played a major role in Depay's career decisions so far:

Since the pair's last meet, Depay has thrust himself to joint-top of the Eredivisie's goalscoring charts alongside team-mate Luuk De Jong. Both are on 15, per WhoScored.com, with Depay playing two games fewer in PSV's simple run to the top of the table.

Despite losing 3-1 to Ajax on Sunday, Cocu's men are 11 points clear of their Amsterdam-based rivals. Depay averages an excellent 2.7 completed dribbles and 5.4 shots per game in the division this season, outlining him as arguably Dutch football's hottest property.

His qualities can be seen below:

Moving to work with Van Gaal is perhaps a natural step in the 21-year-old's career. The United boss needs a hard-working, speedy and versatile winger to dominate the left flank, something Depay is more than capable of achieving in the Premier League.

He can be deployed as a wide-forward, traditional winger and even in the 3-5-2 formation LvG tried to force on United earlier in the season, as we saw at the World Cup. The starlet would likely impact United's best 11, a selection which is currently difficult to pin down, per B/R UK's Ryan Bailey and Sam Tighe:

Van Gaal also desperately needs to strengthen his defence. Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos recently suggested United made a move for him last summer, per Telefoot (h/t Sport):

"

Manchester United and Barcelona wanted me. Those two clubs negotiated with PSG but the club didn't want to sell me. That gave me confidence. The president and the manager are happy with me. It would be good to renew (my contract) in Paris because I am happy here.

"

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PSG boss and former United centre-back Laurent Blanc confirmed the club "will do all we can to renew" Marquinhos' contract, calling him an "excellent player, with an exceptional mentality," per Sport. United are likely to meet a dead end in this pursuit if this proves to be true.

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane is outlined as another possibility by Anthony Chapman of the Express. He reportedly prefers United to Chelsea or Arsenal due to the guarantee of first-team football.

However, 32-year-old Pepe doesn't have too long left in Carlo Ancelotti's lineup, so Varane's importance is set to increase soon, making his potential departure appear far-fetched. Both he and Marquinhos rank among the best young defenders in the world.

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United are crying out for increased strength at the back and an explosion of pace up front. Van Gaal has the ambition to spend big—as evidenced by Angel Di Maria's £59.7 million arrival in the summer—and needs to keep the club moving forward.

Depay appears the most likely arrival of the three aforementioned youngsters, a player who possesses the incisive attributes that United fans would naturally fall in love with.