As Barcelona chalk out plans for the upcoming summer transfer window, several players find themselves staring at uncertain futures at Camp Nou.
The out-of-favour stars like Samuel Umtiti, Luuk de Jong, Clement Lenglet are all expected to depart, while young defenders Oscar Mingueza and Sergino Dest could also follow suit.
Dest has had a difficult two-year stint at Camp Nou. Signed from AFC Ajax in 2020, in a deal worth €21 million plus bonuses, the 21-year-old has never quite been convincing enough to stake a claim as the first-choice right-back for Barça.
It was one of the factors that convinced the Blaugrana to sign Dani Alves on a free transfer in November last year. The 39-year-old’s contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the season, although a short term extension is in the works.
At the same time, Barça are also planning to extend the contract of Sergi Roberto, with a one-year deal close to being signed. On top of that, the Catalan heavyweights are also pushing to sign Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
If Barcelona are successful in their pursuit of Azpilicueta and the veteran duo of Alves and Roberto sign new deals, then Dest will likely be sold in the summer, reports MARCA.
It is further claimed that in such a scenario, Barcelona would demand a fee of €25 million for the 21-year-old USMNT international.
Dest, who has struggled with injuries this season, had shown an improvement in recent months under Xavi. And given his age and potential, it would make greater sense for Barcelona to keep hold of him and develop him further at Camp Nou.
However, given the financial situation at the club, it seems like no player is safe and Dest could very well be allowed to leave in the summer, especially if Barcelona end up capturing the signing of Azpilicueta, while handing new deals to Roberto and Alves.
