Home » Manchester United & Barcelona in talks over Aaron Wan-Bissaka-Sergino Dest exchange deal

Manchester United & Barcelona in talks over Aaron Wan-Bissaka-Sergino Dest exchange deal

Ten Hag is open to letting Wan-Bissaka leave and Dest would be a suitable back-up for Dalot

by Conner Botterill

Manchester United are in discussion with Barcelona over a player exchange deal for the right-back position involving Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Sergino Dest.

This has been reported by Spanish publication SPORT, who believe a deal is set to be completed in the coming days.

Wan-Bissaka has lost his place in the United starting XI under new manager Erik ten Hag who prefers Diogo Dalot over the English defender and the club are open to letting the full-back leave the club.

Dest has found himself in a similar situation at the Camp Nou, with Xavi preferring alternative options with Dest yet to feature in any of the match squads this season.

Crystal Palace are interested in re-signing Wan-Bissaka, who had left Selhurst Park for Old Trafford in the summer of 2019, for a fee of £45million plus £5m in add-ons.

The 24-year-old lost his place under interim manager Ralf Rangnick and has not managed to win his spot back.

His ability to defend in 1v1 situations remain impressive but his lack of quality in possession and his defending of the back post has let him down on more than one occasion.

Ten Hag has opted for Dalot, who is much more comfortable on the ball, and despite a shaky start has really come into his own in the last two games.

Dest is also known for his attacking contributions and is much more comfortable on the ball than Wan-Bissaka and would suit Ten Hag’s style of playing.

If a deal was to be made, Dest would join Lisandro Martinez and Antony in linking up with their former manager at Old Trafford. Dest played under Ten Hag at Ajax before his €21 million move to Barcelona back in 2020.

With United’s summer spending about to top £200 million, a swap deal for the two would make economic sense, and would also provide Ten Hag with a more suitable option in his squad.

The transfer window closes before United’s next league game against Leicester on Thursday and hopefully by then, the manager would have all the players he needs at his disposal.

Latest Top Stories...