Barcelona have completed the signing of Sergino Dest from Ajax, with the USMNT international signing a five-year contract at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Sergino Dest from Ajax. The 19-year-old has penned a five-year contract with the Blaugrana, who have paid an initial €21 million while a further €5 million are variable payments.
Dest joined the fabled Ajax youth setup in 2012 before rapidly progressing through the ranks at the club in the following years. The teenager broke into the Dutch giants’ first-team setup last season and enjoyed a reasonably productive maiden campaign at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
This is Sergiño Dest.
Let him attack, @FCBarcelona ?#ForTheFuture pic.twitter.com/ubh0MVAcOf
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) October 1, 2020
Over the course of his short senior spell at Ajax, the player made 38 appearances, with 2 goals and 6 assists to show for his efforts. However, his incredible progress at the club had helped Dest draw a lot of admirers, with Bayern Munich and Barcelona among the clubs casting admiring glances at him.
In the past week or so, though, Barcelona seemed to have taken a lead in the race to sign the 19-year-old, with reports suggesting that they had reached an agreement with Ajax over a move. The same has been confirmed by both clubs now, with Dest officially a Barcelona player now.
Barcelona have been in a state of flux for some time now, with a disastrous 2019/20 campaign opening up the Pandora’s Box at Camp Nou. It came to such a stage that Lionel Messi almost did the unthinkable before choosing to stay put at the club. Now, with Ronald Koeman at the helm, the Catalans have been hoping to end the summer window on a high.
Shhhhh … pic.twitter.com/FcrRwES4JH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 1, 2020
While there are several areas that undeniably need to be bolstered, the right-back slot is one that emerged as a priority, especially following Nelson Semedo’s move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. With Sergi Roberto blowing hot and cold, Moussa Wague not having a clear pathway to the first-team setup and Emerson seemingly not in the plans, signing a new right-back became imperative.
Dest, therefore, became a viable target for Barcelona, who now potentially have a long-term solution for one of their problem areas. The Blaugrana have paid a base fee of €21 million to Ajax, who would be entitled to receive a further €5 million if performance-related clauses are met.
Barcelona have also set Dest’s release clause at €400 million, with the player signing a five-year contract that runs through to the end of the 2024/25 season. Now upon the new stage of his career, it will be interesting to see if the United States international can continue his upward trajectory at Camp Nou.
