Former FC Barcelona defender Sergino Dest has stated in a recent interview that he feels he still has unfinished business at the club and would love to return to Catalonia.
The American full-back, who joined Barcelona at a young age from Ajax, was unable to establish himself as a regular starter despite being considered a long-term prospect.
He was eventually loaned to AC Milan and then to PSV Eindhoven, where he eventually signed permanently and has now delivered an impressive campaign.
Dest open to Barcelona return
Now, speaking with NPO Radio (h/t SPORT), Dest made it clear that he would welcome a return to Barcelona.
“Signing for Barça would still be a dream. Hansi Flick’s style of play is incredible. I think I’d fit in well,” the USMNT right-back said.
Dest also revealed that he remains in contact with current Barcelona players and that they still rate him highly.
“I spoke to [Ronald] Araujo a while ago after the match between the United States and Uruguay, and we had a good chat. He told me that he and Frenkie [de Jong] sometimes say they don’t understand why they sold me, that I’d fit in well here,” he explained.
Sergino Dest enjoying a resurgence at PSV. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
After overcoming a serious knee injury, Dest believes he is ready to take another step forward in his career.
“I think PSV is a great club, so any other club must be a good one too. But I want to keep challenging myself. It’s also about the Eredivisie. I want to be able to improve every week in a bigger league and measure myself against the best,” he said.
“There’s interest from clubs, but nothing concrete yet. That’s still a long way off,” he added.
Dest admitted that his knee injury following his first year on loan at PSV from Barça, where he put up some incredible stats, was a huge blow.
“I would have really liked to see where I would have played after that season with PSV. I played very well and maintained a consistent level,” he declared.
Finally, Dest explained his decision to represent the United States instead of the Netherlands at the international level, saying:
“To be honest, at the time I was more drawn to the Netherlands, but American culture really appealed to me.
“Clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona had already shown an interest in me, but the Dutch Football Association wanted me to join the Netherlands’ Under-21 team first.
“At that point, I stopped taking them seriously, partly because I was already eligible to make my debut for the US national team. And that’s what I did.”
