Barcelona are threatening Erik ten Hag 's chances of signing a new right-back for Manchester United after proposing a swap deal involving two of his targets.
The La Liga giants have reportedly offered Sergino Dest to Borussia Dortmund in exchange for Thomas Meunier, two players who've both been linked with moves to Old Trafford this summer. After failing to sign Cesar Azpilicueta, Barcelona are believed to have identified Meunier as the next suitable replacement for Dest, who Xavi Hernandez is happy to offload but yet to find a buyer for.
United States international Dest, 21, has spent two years at the Camp Nou after earning his stripes at Ajax under Ten Hag. Meunier, meanwhile, left Paris Saint-Germain for Dortmund in the summer of 2020 and was a target for Barcelona as far back as January, according to Sport.
The report adds that Xavi views Meunier as someone who'd be a useful addition to his team because the 30-year-old Belgian possesses similar characters to Chelsea captain Azpilicueta - despite being five inches taller. It's claimed that earlier this year, Camp Nou chiefs contacted Meunier but the attack-minded full-back was forced to explain how Dortmund had rejected Barcelona's offer which was below their €15million (£12.6m) asking price.
Dest, on the other hand, isn't a previous target for Dortmund, giving United some hope that the Bundesliga club could reject the proposal and opt to hold out for a fee for Meunier. Ten Hag would like to add either right-back to his squad in a bid to offer Diogo Dalot guaranteed competition amid Aaron Wan-Bissaka 's uncertain future.
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Wan-Bissaka made a cameo in the Red Devils' 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday but remains available for a transfer. Former club Crystal Palace have been linked with a £10m move, which would be one fifth of what United paid the Eagles in 2019 for his services.
Ten Hag has remained coy on transfer business but reports indicate that it could be a busy final week of the summer window at Old Trafford. What the Red Devils boss has divulged, however, is exactly how he goes about selecting a target after completing the signing of Casemiro in a mega deal worth up to £60million. "It starts with the basic stuff," Ten Hag explained to manutd.com.
"[You have to be] reliable, have drive, have the motivation – [be] highly motivated. You [should] want to fight and you [should] bring it every day on the training pitch. You want to strengthen the squad. You are [part of] a unified club, a unified team and, most of, all you are prepared to win."
