FC Barcelona And Manchester United Negotiate Sergino Dest Transfer

FC Barcelona and Manchester United are negotiating the transfer of the Catalans’ right back Sergino Dest.

This has been reported by SPORT on Friday afternoon, with the Blaugrana said to have requested a €20mn ($20.6mn) fee from their PremierPINC
League rivals for the Dutch-born US Men’s National Team star.

Dest joined Barca from Ajax in the summer of 2020, for a €21mn ($21.6mn) fee plus a further €5mn ($5.1mn) in variables.

The 21-year-old was bought on the watch of former Barca coach and club legend Ronald Koeman, who once tried to persuade him to play his international football for the Netherlands when Koeman led the national team.

Yet according to AS, the American does not have the confidence of Koeman’s successor Xavi Hernandez and his staff, who are searching the transfer market for right-backs after failing to lure Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.

SPORT say that Manchester United want to lower Barca’s asking price and possibly include one of their own players in a part exchange deal.

With the cash-strapped Catalans looking to raise funds and register new players amid the activation of several ‘economic levers’ to help with their financial woes, however, the board of president Joan Laporta “prefers that the operation be done based only on money”.

United have enquired about Dest before. Now managed by former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, the Red Devils have thus far failed to land Frenkie de Jong from Barca despite agreeing an €85mn ($87mn) transfer for the 25-year-old in mid-July.

De Jong turned the Mancunians down due to their lack of Champions League football and a dispute over deferred pay with his current employers. Yet while aged four years younger, Dest has more time to kill and could spend a season or two in the Europa League without any real damage to his career.

Barca reportedly want to resolve the sale this week, and already start to look for replacements in the position where center back Ronald Araujo has filled in sometimes during preseason.

On Saturday, Xavi’s men get their 2022/2023 La Liga campaign underway against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou and look to snatch the title away from bitter rivals Real Madrid this term.