AFC Ajax are reportedly eyeing a summer reunion with Barcelona defender Sergino Dest, with Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolas Tagliafico facing uncertain futures.
According to Fichajes, Barcelona defender Sergino Dest has emerged as a transfer target for Eredivisie giants AFC Ajax heading into the summer transfer window.
Dest is a product of the Ajax academy and spent eight years at the club after joining their youth setup in 2012. He made his first-team debut in 2019 and featured 38 times, scoring two goals and registering six assists. Impressed by his performances, Barcelona shelled out €21 million, with a possible €5 million in add-ons, to secure his signing in the summer of 2020.
However, Dest’s time at Camp Nou has been a struggle as he has failed to carve out a place for himself in the starting XI. Even though he got plenty of opportunities under former manager Ronald Koeman, the United States international could not perform consistently. He now finds himself behind a 38-year-old Dani Alves in the pecking order under new boss Xavi Hernandez.
To date, Dest has featured 60 times for Barça, but has started just 12 La Liga matches in the ongoing campaign. With Barcelona targeting a summer move for Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta, question marks linger over the future of Dest at Camp Nou. And it seems like his former employers Ajax are eyeing a reunion in the summer.
The Dutch heavyweights are set to lose first-choice right-back Noussair Mazraoui, with his contract expiring in the summer. Interestingly, the Moroccan international has been linked with Barcelona along with the likes of Everton and Aston Villa.
In addition to that, Ajax could also be parting ways with left-back Nicolas Tagliafico. The Argentine remains on the radar of Barcelona after they missed out on his signing in the recently concluded January transfer window. The potential departure of two full-backs in the summer would leave the reigning Eredivisie champions short on numbers in the positions.
As a result, Ajax are targeting a summer move for Dest to fill in the right-back slot and add depth at left-back, considering that the 21-year-old can fill in on the opposite flank as well. But with his contract with Barcelona running until the summer of 2025, the Dutch outfit will have to shell out a significant sum or potentially use Tagliafico as a bargaining chip in the deal.
