Barcelona may have found their replacement should they sell Nelson Semedo.
Last season, Barcelona signed Ajax’s best midfielder in Frenkie de Jong and were in the running for their best defender, Matthijs de Ligt. The club are once again looking at the Dutch side to fill holes in the squad.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans are now interested in signing right-back Sergiño Dest as a possible replacement for Nelson Semedo. The report states that the American put a move to Bayern Munich on hold as he awaits an offer from Barcelona.
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The 19-year-old was recently named Ajax’s Talent of the Year and has stated that playing for Barcelona would be his dream.
It’s been no secret that right-back is a position that no player has yet made their own after the departure of Dani Alves.
They tried with Sergi Roberto who is a midfielder and thought they found the answer when they signed Semedo.
However, under Ernesto Valverde, Roberto still seemed like first-choice and started the bigger games.
With Quique Setién, Semedo’s been the preferred option. But after failing to come to an agreement on a new contract, Barcelona are not opposed to selling the Portuguese player and are waiting for the right offer to come in.
With Setién’s philosophy similar to the one at Ajax, a move for Dest would not be the worst thing in the world. According to Sport, while no concrete offer has been made, the player would be available for €20 million.
Given the transfer marker and how prices have skyrocketed, especially for young players, that amount seems more than reasonable. The two sides enjoy a good relationship but Ajax are said to want only cash and are not interested in a player swap deal.
For Barcelona to make a bid, they are going to need to decide on Semedo’s future and sell a couple of players first. Also, they’re unlikely to make any bid for any player until the Lautaro Martinez situation is ultimately resolved.
Dest could be the first American player to play for the club. They also have another American, Konrad de la Fuente, playing for Barça B.
In his first season with the Ajax first team, Dest has played in 35 matches, 27 as a starter, scored twice and provided six assists.