Sources have confirmed to ESPN that Barcelona will listen to Sergio Dest’s offers while continuing to pursue Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta after signing Jules Conde.
ESPN revealed earlier this summer that Barcelona had informed Dest that it was part of their plans for next season.
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Dest, 21, is happy at Barcelona and said earlier in July that he would “definitely” stay out of the transfer window.
Coach Xavi Hernandez also remains in favor of Dest staying as he offers different qualities to the other full-backs in the squad, but a series of factors have forced the club to reconsider its position on the USA international.
The failure to transfer players Xavi deemed redundant means Barcelona must now consider letting others leave.
The Catalan club needs to balance its accounts after several summer signings – Conde became his sixth new arrival in the window on Thursday – and also needs to make room for salaries to sign up for new players.
He told Xavi Neto, Oscar Mingisa, Samuel Umtiti, Rikwe Puig and Martin Braithwaite to find new clubs in May.
They have all been left out of the Barcelona squad on the tour to the United States this month, but none have secured a move away from the Camp Nou so far.
Other players on the tour, such as Miralem Pjanic and Memphis Depay, will also be allowed to leave for the right price. Preliminary talks were held with Juventus regarding the Memphis deal.
Meanwhile, Barcelona and Manchester United agreed to pay a fee to Frenkie de Jong, but sources at the club admitted there were major complications in concluding this deal due to the midfielder’s desire to stay at the Camp Nou.
The lack of matches, combined with the number of signings made this summer, is now forcing the club to make other, more difficult decisions.
As a result, sources told ESPN that offers will be welcomed for Dest, with Barcelona optimistic they can complete the signing of Azpilicueta despite Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel’s recent comments.
Speaking in Florida last week, Tuchel said he was “a little upset” with Barcelona’s pursuit of the Spain international, and suggested he might back out of the move.
Barcelona released Dani Alves when his contract expired in June with the aim of having Azpilicueta and Dest vie for the right-back position.
But with the money spent on strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ravenha, Barcelona’s priorities have changed, and they will be happy to start the season with Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo and Conde as backup options for Azpilicueta.
Dest joined Barcelona from Ajax for €20 million in 2020. He has made 72 appearances for the club in all competitions since then, scoring three goals. He has a contract until 2025.
