Leeds United have been linked with Barcelona right-back Sergino Dest ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports. Journalist Pete O'Rourke claims the Whites will bolster their back line with the Ajax academy graduate.
He told This is Futbol: "They'll be looking at a right-back, I think, as well. Sergino Dest has been mentioned possibly as that one which will be a big deal for Leeds."
Leeds have already taken advantage of Barcelona's poor financial position when they signed Junior Firpo and could look to do the same this summer. But what do we know of the 21-year-old United states international?
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Dest was born in Almere in the Netherlands but can represent the US due to his Surinamese-American father. Initially a forward before swapping to right-back, he played for Almere City youth academy before signing for Ajax in 2012.
The young defender made quite the impact at the Eredivisie outfit before signing for Barcelona in 2020, signing for €21 million fee plus a further €5 million in variables. The defender signed a five-year deal with the club with a reported buyout clause of €400 million.
Of course, the Whites would never be able to stump up that kind of figure for his services, but could negotiate a deal with the La Liga outfit given their poor financial state - it's clear how highly rated the defender is from his buyout clause alone. Barcelona are in the midst of a rebuild under head coach Xavi and he's been tasked with improving their finances as well as on the field matters.
Xavi has some way to go until he's able to take Barca back to the lofty heights of old, but he namechecked Dest earlier this year as one of those who had improved. Speaking after their win over Valencia in February, Xavi told SISoccer : "Everyone is improving. Let's take Sergiño as an example.
"When we got here, he wasn't doing so well, but now he is doing great. I thought he was spectacularly good [against Valencia], both with the ball and without it. I am really happy with his progress."
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