PSV make decision on Dest's future, to leave Barca for free?

After PSV passed on the chance to buy out Sergiño Dest’s loan from Barcelona, the player’s future has become clearer.

The US defender seemed to be staying put with the Eredivisie winners following his pivotal part in their championship run. With few opportunities to play at Barcelona, the USMNT international seems destined to depart Catalonia before next season. In addition, the Blaugrana were eager to let him go.

After struggling for two years in La Liga and on loan at AC Milan, the defender had fun establishing himself as a squad regular. What’s more, a few days ago, he expressed an interest in remaining in the Netherlands.

In an interview with The Athletic, he attributed much of his ease in Eindhoven to a virtue he may have been lacking in previous years, honesty. “That’s what makes this club so special”, he said.

“You can have normal conversations with people and they’re upfront, even if sometimes you don’t like to hear some things. They respect you and treat you well and, for me, that’s very important. If people respect you, you will feel better and play better. The same goes the other way around.

“The coach [Peter Bosz] is usually very calm with us and he’s confident in us. Even if we have a game where we don’t play as well as we can, he still believes in us. We have a lot of quality and we are always able to turn things around. That’s important.”

Injury forces PSV to change plans

But he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the season’s last weeks. Thus, he will need surgery to repair the damage. The 23-year-old defender was reportedly the victim of pure bad luck in a bizarre training event. To make it more weird, the situation did not even include any of his teammates.

Following the announcement of his injury, PSV has reportedly chosen not to retain him. Expert on player transfers Fabrizio Romano reports that the Dutch side has decided not to trigger the $10.7 million buy clause.

Dest was hoping to revive his career in The Netherlands, thus this is a devastating setback for him. Following surgery in the Netherlands to repair an ACL injury, he will resume his rehabilitation regimen in Barcelona in July.

This is also bad news for the Catalans since they were hoping to earn some bucks from the player during the summer transfer window. The severity of the injury will keep the American star out for around nine months.

Accordingly, he will most likely stay absent until February 2025, just before his contract ends in June. Because Dest will be out for this summer, the Spaniards will need to find other ways to make money off of him.

Dest to leave Barcelona as free agent?

No team is going to take the chance of paying a significant sum for a player coming back from a major injury; especially as Dest’s contract with Barca will expire in 2025 and he won’t be available until February.

So, to keep the young ace from leaving for free next summer, Mundo Deportivo reports that Xavi may think about extending his contract. Alternatively, in January, if a cheaper offer comes in, they may have to accept it eventually.

Photo: IMAGO / BSR Agency