Barcelona defender Sergino Dest is on the verge of a transfer to PSV Eindhoven, as the club continue to trim the first-team squad.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who has revealed that the USA international is set to join the Eredivisie side on loan with an option to buy.
It is clear that Dest has no future at Barcelona, and is not in Xavi’s plans. However, Barcelona have found it more difficult than anticipated to sell the player, and will now have to cover 50% of his wages.
PSV do have an option to buy, for around €10m (£8.5m), and Barcelona will hope that they exercise it at the end of the season to finally end Dest’s nightmare spell in Spain.
Where did it go wrong for Dest at Barcelona?
The right-back was highly rated when he joined from Ajax in 2020, and arrived for a fairly significant fee of just under £24m.
He has made 72 appearances for Barcelona over the years but rarely impressed. Despite his speed, his defensive vulnerabilities, as well as his poor ability in the final third, meant he could never establish himself as a regular despite the club’s desperation for a right-back.
He went on loan to AC Milan to try and find his form, but made just 14 appearances as injuries took their toll, and it has now been a long time since he had a successful campaign with regular game time.
A move back to the Netherlands could help him revive his career, but it is clear that he will not have a future at Barcelona even if his option to buy is not activated.
Dest resembles one of many underwhelming Barcelona additions in the last few years who the club will make a loss on in the transfer market, but cutting ties now will be better for all parties rather than Dest remaining as a fringe player in Xavi’s squad.