Barcelona have been dealt a blow with the news that one of their defenders has suffered a serious knee injury.
The Catalan giants are currently looking to finish their La Liga campaign on a high, realistically battling for second place over making a late surge for the title.
Xavi's side sit 11 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid with five matches remaining, as well as holding a two-point lead over Girona - who they play next - in third position.
Missing out on defending their top-flight crown, as well as a Champions League quarter-final elimination, has restricted the revenue generated by Barcelona this season.
That comes at a time when the club are already struggling financially, face a La Liga salary cap and must sell if they want to buy new players in the summer.
While there are players in the first-team squad that could potentially be sold, club officials have been naturally hoping that some of their loan players impress sufficiently enough elsewhere to secure a permanent exit from Camp Nou.
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Dest suffers serious knee injury
Barcelona's plan with Sergino Dest had initially worked out perfectly. The versatile full-back has made 33 appearances in Eredivisie and the Champions League this campaign, contributing two goals and seven assists.
With PSV surging to the league title and participating in the Champions League knockout stages, triggering the €10m (£8.55m) buy option in their agreement with Barcelona appeared to be a formality.
However, it has been revealed that Dest has suffered an ACL injury, subsequently ruling him out of action for the rest of 2024.
The injury occurred during a training session and the 23-year-old has taken to social media to comment on the situation.
I was pretty suprised
— Sergiño Dest (@sergino_dest) May 1, 2024
When I heard about the news
I never thought that this would happen to me!
It's a difficult time
But i'll face it
Come back stronger
And make y'all proud again
Thanks for all the messages and support! 🙏🏽❤️#beastmode pic.twitter.com/ek0ZHACwmz
How does it affect Dest, Barcelona?
In the short term, Dest misses PSV's final three games of the Eredivisie season at a time when they are expected to be confirmed as champions at the weekend.
The USA international will also be absent from the upcoming Copa America and is currently in line to spend his rehabilitation at Camp Nou.
That is unless PSV and Barcelona can find an agreement over a fee. PSV are unlikely to push through at the currently-agreed figure, yet Barcelona may be willing to reach a compromise to boost their financial situation.
Furthermore, Dest only has a contract with Barcelona until the end of 2024-25, leaving his parent club in a tricky position in order to generate a fee.
Darren Plant
