Barcelona were unable to sign Memphis Depay on transfer deadline day even though Lyon had dropped his price to just £23million, according to reports in Holland.

The 26-year-old forward was left frustrated after his move to Barcelona broke down when Ousmane Dembele's proposed switch to Manchester United fell through.

Depay had been one of Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman's main targets since his arrival at the Nou Camp, but the 57-year-old was unable to get his man.

And according to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, it was because Barcelona could not afford the Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas' revised demands of £18m (€20m) plus £4.5m (€5m) in bonuses.

The report claims that fee had been adjusted downwards, with the Ligue 1 side's initial demands set at a fee of £22.7m (€25m) with the same bonuses included as the revised proposal.  

It resulted in Depay seeing his dream move to the Catalan giants fall apart, with the same outlet claiming he is hoping they will return for his services in January.

The failure to agree a deal appears to have also caused damage to Lyon, who have not managed so far to convince Depay to sign a new deal which would allow the Holland international to walk away for free next summer.

Lyon had reportedly got so far as sending Barcelona the necessary documents to complete the move on transfer deadline day.

A last-minute u-turn saw the French club's sporting director, Juninho Pernambucano, reveal that it was 'possible that he will go to Barca, but it is not certain', but the forward will now be staying in Ligue 1 next season.

Koeman, who has worked with the 26-year-old in the national team, had also previously explained that Depay wanted to make the switch. 

Depay was a driving force behind the French side's incredible 2019-20 campaign, seeing them fight past Manchester City and Juventus in the Champions League before eventually falling to Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

Depay will miss out on European football this season as could only manage seventh place in the French top flight.