Chelsea have been told how much it will cost to bring Sergino Dest from Barcelona to Stamford Bridge this January transfer window.
The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Camp Nou over recent months and Chelsea are said to be one of his most likely destinations, with Thomas Tuchel desperate to sign another right-back to provide cover and competition for Reece James.
While Dest has previously hinted that he is happy in Spain, the situation at Barcelona has dramatically changed this season, with the Catalan club enduring one of their worst campaigns in recent memory.
After losing star player Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain during the summer due to their ruinous financial situation, they failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/04 season, and currently sit fifth in La Liga - a whopping 15 points off league leaders and fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The sacking of Ronald Koeman in October and the appointment of former Barcelona legend Xavi has given the Catalans new hope, but Dest is reportedly not part of the new manager’s plans.
According to El Nacional, the American international is not in favour with Xavi and has started only twice since his arrival, although this is partly down to injury.
With Barcelona needing to raise funds for Xavi’s rebuild, and with the club unable to shift deadwood such as goalkeeper Neto and centre-backs Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet, Dest is likely to be shown the exit door sooner rather than later.
While Bayern Munich have joined the race for the right-back, and have previous links to the player, it is Chelsea who have emerged as the favourites for his signature, and according to the report the Blues will have to pay €40 million (£33.4 million) to acquire his services.
Dest could be a welcome addition at Stamford Bridge, and he should be able to settle in quickly as he is already well acquitted with his national team captain Christian Pulisic and former Ajax teammate Hakim Ziyech.
The report also claims that Roman Abramovich has already prepared a €30million (£25.1million) bid for Dest, and while Barcelona would prefer double that fee, they would be happy to meet roughly in the middle.
