Barcelona doubts Sergino Dest’s qualities, reports Mundo Deportivo. Key figures within the club would not see an undisputed starter in the 21-year-old right-back, which would put him on the line to leave. Dest’s transfer should ensure that Barcelona regain some clout on the market, as the club cannot buy players before selling themselves.
Dest, who recently returned to the roster of Blaugrana after a back injury, did not get a single starting spot under Xavi. Last Tuesday against Benfica (0-0), the American international was allowed to come in for four minutes; in Saturday’s home game against Villarreal (3-1) he got no playing minutes at all. In that last game, Eric García was even in the right-back position, which is from the original central defender.
The criticism of Dest has reportedly been about his defensive abilities, as well as a lack of concentration. There is no doubt within the club about the attacking qualities of the right-back: his ball control, dribbling and excellent shot are praised internally. Nevertheless, Dest is considered too light on the whole and it is ‘seriously considered’ to place the former Ajax player on the transfer list. Ferran Torres and Karim Adeyemi, among others, would be in the concrete interest of Barcelona, for which, however, a budget must first be made available.
With the signing of Dani Alves earlier this month, the prospect of playing time looks set to diminish for Dest. The Brazilian right back is eligible to play from January 1, 2022, which exactly overlaps with the winter transfer period. Since his arrival from Ajax at the beginning of last season, Dest made 55 games for Barcelona, in which he managed to score three times. The defender’s contract, which cost Barcelona 21 million euros at the time, will continue until mid-2025.