Update: Oct. 1
They made it official on Thursday.
The USA's 19-year-old right back has joined FC Barcelona on a transfer from Ajax for a transfer fee reportedly surpassing $24 million. The reports of the 5-year deal also mentioned that it includes a contract buyout clause of $450 million.
Dest will play for new Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman, who tried to convince Dest to play for the Dutch national team before he ultimately opted to represent the United States. He joins US youth international Konrad de la Fuente, who has been part of the first team since Koeman's arrival.
Update: Set. 30
The morning after US men's national team defender Sergino Dest was spotted arriving in Barcelona, Barça head coach Ronald Koeman confirmed that he was undergoing his medical, and offered some positive words on the Blaugrana's newest arrival.
Update: Sept. 29
US men's national team defender Sergino Dest has been spotted by Catalan media arriving in Barcelona ahead of his reported transfer to the Liga giants.
According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Dest will arrive from Ajax for a fee of around €23 million, plus add-ons, and sign a contract with Barcelona through 2025.
Update: Sept. 23
Barcelona might have lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals, but it appears the La Liga giants have won the Sergiño Dest sweepstakes. A deal to send the US men's national team right back to Barcelona has been agreed upon, reportedly for an initial €20m with an extra €5m in incentives.
Ajax were entertaining bids from both mega clubs, but when Barca sold right back Nelson Semedo to Wolves, it appears to have opened the door to land Dest.
Update: Sept. 17
It looks like two of Europe's top clubs will be duking it out for US national team right back Sergiño Dest.
Just one day after reports of Ronald Koeman's interest in acquiring the player for Spanish giants FC Barcelona, new reports state that European champions Bayern Munich are meeting Ajax to work out a deal and potentially beat Barcelona to the punch.
But De Telegraaf's Mike Verweij in the Netherlands says that Ajax have already declined a $15 million offer for Dest but that talks continue. He also indicated that Dest's bench role in Ajax's most recent Eredivisie match had to do with these transfer developments.
Former Vancouver Whitecaps homegrown star Alphonso Davies, 19, is the current starting left back at Bayern Munich. Dest turns 20 in November.
Original story: Sept. 16
After a breakthrough season at Ajax, US men's national team defender Sergiño Dest is in the crosshairs of Barcelona's project under new head coach Ronald Koeman, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
But any move, as their report outlines, would be contingent upon selling Nelson Semedo, a Portugal international who’s been with the club since 2017. As the former Dutch national team manager, Koeman was part of the Dest sweepstakes when the dual-national deliberated between representing the USMNT and Netherlands. That creates some inherently familiarity.
Mundo Deportivo adds that a loan deal for Dest would be considered, though Semedo’s presence in the squad would complicate any move. Both play right back, and there'd only be so many minutes to go around.
Whatever the end result is, Dest’s coming off a remarkable 2019-'20 season where he went from youth standout to regular Eredivisie and Champions League contributor. He also earned his first three USMNT caps and figures to be a pivotal long-term piece at just age 19.
Dest’s second season with Ajax’s first team is already underway, and he appeared as a substitute during a 1-0 win last weekend over Sparta Rotterdam. They’ve lost several key players from their 2019-'20 squad, most notably as Hakim Ziyech was transferred to Chelsea and Donny van de Beek was transferred to Manchester United.
