Man Utd intensify talks to sign €20m La Liga sensation, Ten Hag wants him - report

Manchester United have intensified talks with USA defender Sergino Dest over a transfer away from Barcelona, Spanish publication Sport claim.

The Red Devils are determined to sign a new right-back before the transfer deadline, and Dest has emerged as a top target for manager Erik ten Hag.

The Dutch tactician managed him during his debut season at Ajax in 2019/2020, and he is understood to be a ‘great advocate’ of his signing this summer.

Meanwhile, Dest is aware that he needs to move on from Barcelona to excel in his career and talks have ‘intensified’ with the Red Devils in recent hours.

Despite this, Barcelona won’t let him go on the cheap, and are reluctant to sell him for less than €20 million. Villarreal’s Juan Foyth could replace him.

Dest could become United’s first-choice right-back

Dest had a productive debut season at Ajax in 2019/2020. The youngster made eight goal contributions from 38 appearances before his big-money move to Camp Nou.

He has since failed to live up to the expectations. Dest has not settled in a single role, having played at right-back, right wing-back, left-back and as a right winger for Barcelona.

The 21-year-old will want a consistent position going forward, and he has the right platform under Ten Hag, who believes he can be an ‘important player‘ for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag prefers to operate with full-backs that are attack-minded and can make regular overlapping runs. However, he also wants strong distributors with a good defensive resolve.

Dest would be an ideal player to meet those attributes. He is superb with his dribbling going forward, but also has a good defensive presence with tackling being one of his strong suits.

Meanwhile, the United States star is also superb with his distribution. He has completed 90 per cent of his passes in his career, but has room for improvement when it comes to long balls.

Compared to Diogo Dalot, he is definitely better suited to Ten Hag’s tactics and could be a regular starter from the off. United are very likely to part ways with Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com and WhoScored.com

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