Chelsea are reportedly considering a January swoop for Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest as they look to add more strength and depth to their squad.
The USA international, 21, who moved to Barcelona last summer from Ajax, was an undisputed starter under former manager Ronald Koeman.
Since the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as Koeman’s replacement, however, he has been one of the biggest losers at Camp Nou, with the full-back losing his spot in the starting XI.
According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Sergino Dest wants to leave Barcelona in January and start a new adventure, with the versatile player keen on a move to Bayern Munich. Elsewhere, The Daily Express claims that Chelsea are among the clubs interested in signing Dest, who is rated at around £30 million by Barcelona.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is short of options at left-back after Ben Chilwell sustained cruciate knee ligament damage against Juventus in the Champions League last month. The England international is out for the foreseeable future, leaving Tuchel with Marcos Alonso as the only recognised left-back option.
Then there’s Cesar Azpilicueta, who has entered the final year of his contract and it remains to be seen whether or not he is offered an extension by the Blues.
Sergino Dest to Chelsea – An exciting full-back option for Thomas Tuchel?
Sergino Dest has made 57 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions to date, and just when he was getting consistency to his game, he has lost place in the team under Xavi Hernandez. The USA international understandably wants to leave the La Liga giants for regular game time, thereby, making Chelsea an appealing destination.
Predominantly a right-back, Dest is a versatile player who can also play at left-back, as a wing-back or at right-wing, and such flexibility only adds more value under his banner.
The 21-year-old is a modern-day full-back who likes to venture forward and join in his team’s attacks as much as he can. He is a good passer and crosser of the ball, and uses his searing pace to make overlapping runs before making a telling contribution in the final third.
One of the ex-Ajax man’s weaknesses is his 1v1 defending and that is an area he has to improve significantly to thrive in Tuchel’s system at Chelsea. Nonetheless, Dest has the raw attributes to excel in the rigours of Premier League football and Tuchel just could be the right manager to polish them.
Having said that, it remains to be seen if Chelsea even firm up their interest in Dest and whether they are prepared to shell out £30 million to sign the American sensation in January.