Lyon president confirms Memphis Depay transfer as player arrives in France

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that the French side have agreed a deal in principle with Manchester United for Memphis Depay. The Dutchman has long been linked with a move out of the club but an agreement with regard to transfer fees could not be reached with the interested parties thus far in the transfer window.

The winger was initially linked with a move to Everton but the transfer broke down owing to disagreement on transfer fees. The Guardian reports that a fee worth €17m (£14.75m, $18m) has been agreed between the two sides and this could rise up to €25m (£22m, $26.6m) if a series of performance based add-ons are triggered. The Red Devils have also added sell-on clauses to the player and will be in profit should the player move on Lyon.

"At the beginning of this afternoon I reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United, the finer details still need to be sorted out but at a more expensive base than is currently being circulated," Aulas told L'Equipe. Depay has already travelled to Lyon anticipating a move and a final confirmation is likely to be made before the end of the week.

"Memphis Depay arrived in Lyon to discuss the terms of his future contract with OL, assisted by his agents who will arrive this Thursday," Lyon's official handle tweeted.

Jose Mourinho had revealed that Depay wanted to leave the club after struggling to make the squad since moving United last summer. The Dutchman caught the eye following his performance for the Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup but was a fringe player for the Red Devils since moving to Old Trafford. This will be the second player shipping out of United in the transfer window after Morgan Schneiderlin completed a move to Everton.