Atletico Madrid will reportedly look to sign American defender Sergino Dest from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Sergino Dest is trying to sort out his future before the summer transfer window shuts down. The Barcelona defender is the subject of interest from La Liga rival Atletico Madrid over a possible move this month.
Sergino Dest joined Barcelona from Ajax nearly two years ago amid a lot of optimism from fans, pundits and the player himself. But the USMNT international has failed to make his mark in the last two years, with his stature reducing since Xavi Hernandez took over from Ronald Koeman last year.
The 21-year-old has three goals and four assists in 72 appearances thus far for Barcelona. But with Barcelona keen on securing the services of Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Dest might have to call it quits at Camp Nou in the summer transfer window. And Atletico Madrid could offer him an escape route from Barcelona.
The interest from Atletico Madrid is surprising, considering the Colchoneros have already bolstered their right-back options by signing Nahuel Molina from Udinese. But with Santiago Arias not featuring in Diego Simeone’s plans for the 2022/23 season, Atletico Madrid might have to enter the market for another right-back.
Dest has thus emerged as a viable target for Atletico Madrid, with the Barcelona defender having the quality and potential to challenge Molina for the first-choice right-back berth. But Atletico Madrid will need to be decisive while approaching Barcelona for the 21-year-old, with several other clubs keen on signing him.
Widespread reports have linked Manchester United with the USMNT international, with the Red Devils reportedly ready to fork out €20 million to secure his services in the summer transfer window. So Atletico Madrid’s next steps will be crucial as Dest looks to sort out his future.
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For now, what seems certain is that Barcelona will be happy to cash in on Dest in the summer transfer window if Cesar Azpilicueta arrives from Chelsea. It will be interesting to see if Atletico Madrid can beat the competition to secure the services of the young full-back.
