Sergino Dest, speaking at a press conference marking the beginning of Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the United States, made it absolutely clear that he intended to stay at Barcelona this summer despite rumours linking him with a transfer.
The 21-year-old right-back, an international with the USMNT, said that he’s happy at Camp Nou and will definitely be staying. And that seems likely given Dani Alves has already left the club and Oscar Mingueza looks set to follow him out the door. Although the potential arrival of Cesar Azpilicueta could limit his opportunities.
“I’m happy at the club, I’ll definitely stay here,” Dest said in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo. He also spoke about his hopes for the 2022/23 season from a collective standpoint.
“We are Barcelona. Everyone expects us to be the best. I think we’re going to have a great season. We can no longer play in the Europa League. We have a lot of talent and we’re trying to create a new generation and that takes time.”
Dest joined Barcelona in the summer of 2020 and, while he’s enjoyed some fine moments in the Catalan club’s shirt, he’s struggled to nail down his place in the first team. He’s made 72 appearances for Barcelona to date, contributing three goals and four assists. He’ll hope the injury problems that disrupted his 2021/22 campaign are behind him for good.
Because Barcelona need all the help they can get. They finished 13 points behind champions Real Madrid last season, something that’s unacceptable at Camp Nou. They face a big season.
