Man Utd have 'monitored' De Jong's £17m teammate at Old Trafford

Manchester United target Sergino Dest has been ‘monitored for ages’ at Old Trafford, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Red Devils are believed to be in the market for a new right-back this summer and could target the out-of-favour Barcelona star, reuniting him with former manager Erik ten Hag.

Dest is yet to play a single minute of football in 2022/23, a clear indication that Barca boss Xavi has no place for him in his first-team plans at Camp Nou.

And Spanish outlet Sport has claimed that the Blaugrana are willing to sanction the 21-year-old’s sale in a €20 million (£16.8m) deal or on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.

It’s claimed that United are set to ‘accelerate’ their pursuit of Dest with Ten Hag said to be ‘optimistic’ that he will join his revolution in the red half of Manchester.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the USA international’s situation in his column for CaughtOffside, stating that Barca are trying to offload him in ‘every way’.

“Barcelona are trying in every way to sell Sergino Dest,” Romano said. “The club and Xavi want to find a solution as soon as possible because they no longer believe in the right-back, while Dest insists on staying at Barca as a priority.

Any move for Dest could hinge on United being able to offload Aaron Wan-Bissaka, although his boyhood club Crystal Palace are currently the only potential suitors for him.

But Jones believes that a switch to the Theatre of Dreams would ‘be a good move’ for the attack-minded full-back and for the 20-time English champions as well.

He told GiveMeSport: “Dest has been monitored for ages, and I actually think it would be a good move for him and United. He is a really good player but leaving Barcelona would