Sergiño Dest reportedly is headed to Italy.
The 21-year-old USMNT right-back is transferring from La Liga side FC Barcelona to Serie A side AC Milan on a loan deal with an option to buy, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano:
Included in the deal is a non-mandatory buy option worth €20 million. If Milan wishes to keep Dest around permanently next summer, it can activate the clause and purchase him from Barcelona for that amount. If so, his contract will last until June 2027.
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After coming up through AFC Ajax’s academy in the Netherlands, Barcelona bought Dest in 2020 for $23.1 million, according to Transfermarkt. But injuries have largely put a dent in his chapter in Spain, so when new manager Xavi Hernández came on board, Dest’s future with the team appeared bleak.
Now Dest gets to start from scratch with the defending Serie A champions, which currently is fourth on the table after four games played in the 2022-23 campaign. Milan also has David Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi as right-backs, but Dest’s left foot is good enough to also slot in as a left-back if manager Stefano Pioli defaults to that.
Picking up form is vital for Dest as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November approaches. He has 17 caps with the U.S. since making his debut in 2019, and he can easily be Gregg Berhalter’s first-choice right-back when healthy.
