Getty Sergino Dest's future is unclear.
Sergino Dest’s future at Barcelona remains uncertain in the final hours of the summer transfer window. The USMNT star had been determined to stay but appears to have had a late change of mind.
The 21-year-old has been approached by La Liga side Villarreal and initially rejected the chance of a move to the Yellow Submarine. However, Dest “is reconsidering” the offer after receiving a phone call from coach Unai Emery, as reported by ESPN.
Dest is under “intense pressure” to leave Barcelona after being deemed surplus to requirements but will need to make a decision quickly to secure a transfer as the window closes on Thursday, September 1.
Another more likely option for the American is AC Milan. The Rossoneri are in talks with Barcelona over a season-long loan. The deal would include a non-mandatory purchase option, according to Relevo.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano is confident a deal can be done and reports Dest has already agreed personal terms. The purchase option in the deal would be a four-year contract that would run until 2027 if activated.
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Dest Not in Xavi’s Plans
Barcelona coach Xavi has already made it clear that Dest is not in his new plans for the 2022-23 season. The USMNT defender has not made it into any of the coach’s matchday squads so far in the new campaign.
The manager has even preferred to use center-backs Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde at full-back instead of selecting Dest despite being short of recognized right-backs in his squad.
Xavi spoke about the need to bring in a new full-back at a news conference ahead of his team’s La Liga win over Real Valladolid last time out.
“With Balde, we seem well covered at left-back. On the right, we don’t have a natural option beyond Dest, who knows what his situation is,” he said. “We will see how the market is but the club’s intention is to strengthen at right-back.”
Man Utd Not An Option For Dest
Manchester United had also been linked with a move for Dest in the summer window. A transfer to Old Trafford would have seen the defender link up with former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.
However, the Red Devils appear to have ruled out any chance of signing Dest. Ten Hag told a news conference on Wednesday, August 31 that he did not expect the club to make any more transfers after signing Antony from Ajax and Martin Dubravka from Newcastle.
“Antony? First we have to sign him! There is an agreement between the two clubs, but the paperwork is not done, so I cannot go to deep into it,” he said. “Will that be the end of the signings? I think so, [that] for this window, it will be the end.”
The Dutchman is also expecting right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka to stay. There had been speculation that the former Crystal Palace man could move to Barcelona in a straight swap with Dest.
“Aaron is in and we will keep [him], he will stay in,” he explained. “So this squad will go from September until the minimum, January. We will play with this squad [for] the season.”
Dest now has a big decision to make about his future in a short space of time. The defender may be reluctant to move but faces a frustrating season on the bench if he does stay at the Camp Nou.
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