According to a report from Daniele Longo of Calciomercato, Bundesliga club Union Berlin have decided to end their interest in FC Barcelona outcast Sergino Dest. However, the USMNT right-back is on the radars of Turkish giants Besiktas.
Dest has been a Barcelona player since the summer of 2020, when he arrived from AFC Ajax. The 22-year-old never really convinced during his time at Spotify Camp Nou and was shipped off on loan to AC Milan in the summer of 2022.
However, his time in Italy was nothing short of a disaster as he made only 14 appearances across all competitions in the entirety of the campaign. He was even omitted from the Rossoneri’s UEFA Champions League squad midway through the season.
Naturally, Milan decided not to take up the €20 milllion permanent purchase option that was embedded in the loan agreement.
Dest will thus be returning to Barcelona imminently but manager Xavi Hernandez does not count on him as part of the plans for next season and the La Liga champions are eager to offload him permanently before the pre-season camp starts next month.
Union Berlin had shown an interest in signing Dest in the summer, albeit on a season-long loan, a proposition that did not appeal to Barcelona.
Now, though, the report is claiming that the Bundesliga outfit, who will be playing Champions League football next season, have decided to end their interest in the USMNT international.
While Union Berlin have dropped out of the pursuit of Dest, a new suitor has emerged for the right-back in the form of Turkish giants Besiktas.
Earlier this month, the sporting director of the Turkish club had met with Barcelona counterpart Mateu Alemany, along with an intermediary, during which potential transfers had been discussed.
Whether Besiktas’ interest in Dest, whose market value stands at €10 million, leads to anything substantial remains to be seen. If there are no appealing offers for the former Ajax ace, it is not ruled out that he ends up staying put at Barcelona.
