Barcelona have been active this winter window with the club working to facilitate numerous departures and sales. Having bought Ferran Torres for €55 million from Manchester City, it has become the priority of the former La Liga champions to find some exits this winter, if they are to land Erling Haaland and a central defender next summer.
Philippe Coutinho has completed his loan move to Aston Villa and has hit the ground running with a goal and an assist in his debut match for the Villains. Barcelona have also inserted an option to buy the Brazilian playmaker at the end of the season for €40 million. With that said, the club has been working on solutions when it comes to the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Ousmane Dembele, and Sergino Dest.
Umtiti’s latest injury has made things really difficult for Barcelona as the defender has been ruled out for three months and it is looking increasingly unlikely that the club will be able to sell him off this month. With that said, Dembele has been negotiating a new contract with Barca for the past few weeks and the French winger’s extraordinary demands have ensured that the Blaugrana look for a potential exit for him as well. Barcelona want to tie down Dembele to a new contract but the former Borussia Dortmund man has been demanding €40 million in wages per season and a signing-on bonus of €20 million for both himself and his agent.
Barcelona have pushed aside the player’s demands and are said to be close to withdrawing their current offer and sending the player to the stands, with the World Cup fast approaching.
Is Sergino Dest on his way out of the club this winter?
When it comes to Sergino Dest, the young USMNT star has struggled to find a place in Xavi’s XI with Dani Alves proving why he is still one of the best going around. Dest’s inability to stay solid and composed in front of the goal has been hurting his chances in the XI and the former Ajax star has found it difficult to break into a Barca XI since his dramatic miss against Real Madrid, where he should have scored and put Barca level against their great rivals.
Chelsea are currently battling a shortage of full-backs and have been linked with Dest, as they have been unsuccessful in their attempt to convince Lyon to terminate the loan of Emerson Palmieri and send the player back to his parent club.
What has been said?
Barcelona are also said to be open to listening to offers for Dest but Michael Reschke, who works for the agency that represents Dest confirmed that the full-back does not have any intentions of moving on from Barcelona, after spending just over a season and a half.
“Sergino feels good in Barcelona,” he told Ran. “It’s a great club. That’s why it’s actually rather unlikely at the moment.”
It is understood that the player is keen on staying and fighting for his place in the Barca XI which is actually a good sign for the Blaugrana. The day Dest breaks into Xavi’s XI will be the day the 41-year-old manager will include him in his plans. However, as it stands, Dest is more outside Xavi’s plans than in it.
A medical student with an avid interest for the game.
