Barcelona and Bayern Munich are interested in signing Ajax full-back Sergino Dest this summer, his agent has confirmed.
The Dutch giants may face a fight to keep hold of their young prospect, who enjoyed a fine debut season at the Johan Cruyff Arena
The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Dutch giants having graduated through the club’s youth ranks.
He made 35 appearances in all competitions for Erik Ten Hag’s senior side before the Eredivisie season was curtailed last month because of the coronavirus crisis.
His impressive performances saw him win the Marco van Basten award for Ajax young talent of the year.
The right-back was also handed his USMNT debut in September, featuring in friendlies against Mexico and Uruguay after impressing for the U20 squad at the World Cup during the summer.
His performances for club and country have caught the eye of rival clubs, with European heavyweights Barca and Bayern seemingly at the front of the queue, though Dest’s agent and lawyer Joes Blakborn is keen to stress that no formal bids have yet been made.
“It [interest from Barcelona] is not yet concrete,” Blakborn told Voetbal international.
“They have not officially reported to me or Ajax. However, information has been provided in the past. Sergino is one of the full-backs in Europe that they are following. He is an option should Nelson Semedo leave. But I think Sergino is an option for more clubs.
“Bayern Munich still want to take Sergino from Ajax, but at the moment both parties are still far apart. We can’t do anything about that at the moment.”
Though he was born and raised in the Netherlands, Sergino Dest qualified for the United States through his father and represented the country at youth level.
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Following his international debut in September, the Netherlands approached Dest over the possibility of switching allegiance as he had yet to represent the United States in a competitive game.
However, the following month Dest committed his international future to the USMNT, admitting it was a “tough” decision and revealing he had informed Oranje boss Ronald Koeman personally.
Despite helping Ajax to the top of the table when the Eredivisie was initially postponed due to coronavirus in March, Dest missed out on a winner’s medal as the league was declared void, with no champions, promotion or relegation.
Source: Goal.com
