Asking price for Depay too high for Nice, says president

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere says the club will not be making a move for Manchester United winger Memphis Depay, as he is “out of our financial reach”.

The Netherlands international has become a fringe figure at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho, being restricted to just 20 minutes of Premier League football this season.

A forward who arrived in English football with a blossoming reputation has become something of a forgotten man and is actively looking for a fresh start during the January transfer window.

Various clubs have been linked with an approach for his services, with Everton said to be keen on keeping him in the Premier League.

Nice were also interested, with the ambitious French outfit looking to bolster a squad that currently sits top of Ligue 1.

They have, however, been priced out of the market, with United looking to recoup as much of the £25 million they paid for Depay in the summer of 2015 as possible.

Rivere told RMC: "We looked at him, like a lot of clubs have, but it is extremely complicated.

"It is a situation that is out of our financial reach. You have a club that bought him for a certain amount, that wants to sell him.

"When we looked at Depay, it was in another way, which is not possible today.

"He was bought very expensively by Manchester United, they want to possibly sell him and we cannot compete in this sort of situation."

Depay joined United from PSV on the back of a 2014-15 campaign which saw him win the league with the Eindhoven side and finish as the Eredivisie’s top scorer.

He struggled, however, to make much of an impact under fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal and has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season – with the last of those coming in a Europa League clash with Feyenoord on 24 November.