La Liga club want to sign Barcelona outcast for €7m in the summer - Reports
Atletico Madrid are open to signing Barcelona outcast Sergino Dest for a fee of €7 million this summer, as per El Gol Digital (h/t Diario Gol).
Dest is reportedly out of favor under manager Xavi Hernandez, who does not want him with the first team from next season. The writing was on the wall for the USA international when he was allowed to leave on loan last summer.
Despite a dearth of options at right-back, Barcelona sanctioned a season-long loan move to AC Milan. He is due to return this summer but the Catalan giants are vehemently in favor of offloading him.
They hope a deal can be agreed upon for a fee of €10 million but are willing to drop the price tag to around €7 million. Atletico Madrid are seemingly in the market to find a long-term solution to the right-back position.
Barcelona take it for granted that Sergiño Dest will return to the club in the summer. AC Milan will not execute their option to buy him.
— @sport https://t.co/4miBkhM2Mp
Nahuel Molina was signed from Udinese Calcio last year, which cushioned the blow of losing three right-backs in the summer. Daniel Wass, Santiago Arias and Sime Vrsaljko all left the club on a permanent basis.
Matt Doherty was signed from Tottenham Hotspur in January, but his contract runs only until the end of the campaign. Hence, they could use a long-term addition in that area as competition for the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner.
Dest, 22, still has many years ahead of him to master his craft and unfurl his potential. Injury problems have restricted him to playing just 632 minutes of football for AC Milan this term.
On his day, Dest can be a potent threat from the flanks with his speed and attacking runs. His end product in the final third, however, could use improvement.
Julian Araujo joins Barcelona after January drama
Barcelona nearly missed out on signing Julian Araujo in January after the paperwork for a transfer was submitted 18 seconds after the 31 January deadline.
🤍
Forever one of our own 💙🤍💛
#LAGalaxy x @julian__araujo https://t.co/ozHMcqPYbE
Araujo made 98 MLS appearances for LA Galaxy, providing 14 assists during that time. The 21-year-old right-back has now officially joined the Catalan giants for a fee of $4 million, as per MLS' official website.
He is set to train under Rafael Marquez with the B team before making the step up to the senior squad in the future. The Mexico international was coincidentally a part of Barcelona's Residency Academy in the USA before being snapped up by the MLS giants in January 2018.
Araujo could have a clear pathway to the first team under manager Xavi Hernandez given the right-back situation at the club. Dest is expected to depart the club while Hector Bellerin was permanently offloaded to Sporting CP last month.
Sergi Roberto, meanwhile, sees his current contract at Barca expire this summer.