The summer transfer window is here, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Barcelona and Dortmund mull a Dest-Meunier defender swap
Barcelona defender and U.S. men’s national team regular Sergino Dest could be set to join Borussia Dortmund as part of a swap deal for defender Thomas Meunier, reports Sport.
The Catalan side are reportedly planning to use Dest, the out-of-favour 21-year-old right-back, to acquire the services of the 30-year-old Belgian international, without paying Dortmund’s €15m asking price. The like-for-like swap would also mean that German side would not have to search for a replacement this late in the transfer window.
After failing to secure a deal with Chelsea for César Azpilicueta, Barcelona manager Xavi is still searching for a right-back to challenge Sergi Roberto, with Héctor Bellerín from Arsenal and Juan Foyth from Villarreal reportedly lined up as potential last-minute options if the Bundesliga club rejects their proposal to exchange full-backs.
Sources revealed to ESPN last week that Xavi met with Dest and told him that he should look for playing time elsewhere. Days later, when asked about Dest, Xavi was upfront about his intention to move the USMNT full-back on, telling reporters that Dest “knows what the situation is.”
“Being honest, we wanted to sign Cesar Azpilicueta and we couldn’t, so that’s the situation,” Xavi said at a recent press conference.
Meunier has been with Dortmund since 2020 but he reportedly is interested in leaving. Before that, he played at Paris Saint-Germain for four seasons where he was a frequent starter.
