Barcelona reach agreement to offload 22-year-old on initial loan deal with option to buy: Reports
Barcelona have agreed to send Sergino Dest on loan to PSV Eindhoven who have also negotiated an option to make the move permanent, according to Dutch daily Eindhovens Dagblad.
Dest joined the Blaugrana from Dutch giants Ajax for €21 million plus add-ons in 2020. He made 41 appearances across competitions for the club in his first season at Camp Nou. The right-back continued to feature regularly under Ronald Koeman the following season as well.
However, Dest, 22, fell out of favor after Xavi replaced Koeman and took the reins at Barcelona in November 2021. The United States international has played only 18 games under the manager, amassing 980 minutes of playing time across competitions.
Dest joined Serie A giants AC Milan on loan with the hopes of getting his career back on track last summer. The full-back, though, clocked just 632 minutes of action for the Italian heavyweights, who, therefore, decided not to make the move permanent.
Barcelona, who have been trying to offload Dest all summer, have finally found a taker for the defender. According to the aforementioned source, PSV Eindhoven have agreed to sign him on loan for the season with an option to make the permanent.
Dest is set to undergo a medical with PSV on Sunday (August 20), although the clubs are ironing out the final details of the deal. As per Dutch magazine Voetbal International, the Eredivisie club hope to finalize the transfer in time for their UEFA Champions League playoffs against Rangers on Tuesday (August 22).
The magazine has also revealed that PSV were not the only club interested in Dest. Peter Bosz's side have beaten competition from clubs in the Premier League and the Portuguese Primeira Liga for the right-back.
Sergino Dest's exit could allow Barcelona to finalize Joao Cancelo signing
Barcelona have been working on a tight budget this summer due to financial constraints. The La Liga giants have paid transfer fees for only Oriol Romeu (€3.4 million) this summer. Their other two signings - Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez - have arrived on free transfers.
The Blaugrana have been hard at work on offloading players to raise funds and make room for new signings. Sergino Dest joining PSV Eindhoven on loan is expected to allow the club to bring in a new full-back before the transfer deadline on September 1. Sergio Roberto is the only senior right-back in their squad.
Xavi's side have been credited with an interest in Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo. According to Fabrizio Romano, they are in talks to sign the Portugal international on loan with a buy option. The Catalonians are close to reaching an agreement with the Premier League champions.