Juventus Made Approach for Barcelona Misfit

Juventus have reportedly made an approach for versatile Barcelona defender Sergino Dest. According to El Nacional (via TheHardTackle), the Bianconeri have tabled a €10m bid to land the United States international this winter.

Dest enjoyed a rise to stardom at Ajax before sealing a €21m-plus-add-ons move to Barcelona in 2020. However, the 21-year-old has failed to settle at Camp Nou despite being deployed in several roles under ex-boss Ronald Koeman. Since he has found his game time under new manager Xavi at a premium, he could be on his way out of La Liga this winter.

Additionally, Barcelona have brought Dani Alves back, adding competition in the right-back position. Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza are also in contention for a place in the starting line-up, further narrowing down Dest’s chances of securing regular first-team football in Catalonia.

The USMNT star has plenty of suitors across Europe. In addition to Juventus, Bayern Munich and Chelsea are also said to be in the race to secure Dest’s services this winter. However, the Serie A giants are at the front of the queue.

Juventus want to add to their defensive options in January. Danilo and Juan Cuadrado have covered the right-back position in the first half of the season. But with Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Bernardeschi struggling with inconsistent performances, Massimiliano Allegri considers moving Cuadrado further up the pitch in the remainder of the season.

Allegri also has Mattia De Sciglio as another solution to fill the gap, but the Italian right-back seems to have failed to convince the gaffer. That could leave Juventus exposed at the back, hence their interest to acquire Dest.