Barcelona officially unveil new forward despite salary cap crisis

FC Barcelona officially presented their latest signing, Memphis Depay, at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night. The atmosphere was positive at the venue, despite the fact that the club is still at risk of being unable to register the player due to their current financial state.

The Dutchman joined the La Liga outfit on a deal that lasts until 2023. He expressed his excitement to don the Blaugrana shirt during his official presentation. "It's an honour to be here. It's a dream come true since I was a little boy," he said at the press conference.

He admitted that the negotiations took a long time, but that it had always been his plan to make the move to Catalunya. He then thanked club president Joan Laporta and the rest of the Barcelona board before also acknowledging manager Ronald Koeman.

He had played under the Dutch coach for the national team before the latter landed the Barcelona post. "[Koeman] played me as a centre forward. He made me feel very comfortable and I must thank him for all that. I would have come even if he wasn't here because you can't say no to Barcelona. I would have still come, but it's also certain that he has had a big impact," admitted Depay.

The forward then spoke about Lionel Messi, and his desire to play with the Argentine star. "It is a dream [to play with Messi]. He is a legend and I don't need to say too much else. The best player in the world," he said while admitting to be a big fan of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

While Depay is looking forward to playing alongside Messi, it is not yet certain that they will share the Barcelona dressing room next season. Not only is Depay himself not yet registered, Barcelona have also been struggling to re-sign Messi due to their financial situation.

Other new signings like Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia are still waiting for the club to meet La Liga Santander's financial fair play regulations before they can be registered. Likewise, the club needs to slash their wage bill by a significant amount before they can accommodate Messi's salary.

Valuable first team players like Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho are up for sale, and the club is also asking those who will stay to accept a sizeable pay cut.