Fabrizio Romano tweet hands West Ham United £18m boost in Sergino Dest pursuit, Barcelona ace awaits ‘next step’
West Ham United will undergo a major rebrand this summer, regardless of where the club finish in the Premier League table.
The ageing squad will be completely analysed, with any dead wood removed from the pack as the owners aim to freshen things up.
Manager David Moyes could, of course, be the first casualty, but many of the current team look certain to follow him out the door this summer.
One area that the club could look to strengthen is full-back, with USA international Sergino Dest recently attracting interest from the Hammers, according to 90min.
And West Ham have now been handed a major boost in their pursuit of the 22-year-old, who is currently struggling on a loan spell at AC Milan from his parent club Barcelona.
The youngster has failed to impress at the Serie A giants, with Fabrizio Romano now confirming that the club do not want to trigger the €20million (£17.7million) buy option clause for the full-back.
“The plan won’t change: AC Milan will not trigger the buy option clause for Sergino Dest worth €20m (£17.7m),” Romano posted on Twitter. “USMNT fullback will be on his way back to Barcelona.
“Decision on next step of his career will be made in the next months. His last appearance with Milan was on January 24.”
One of many countless Ajax youth academy products, Dest first rose to prominence with the Dutch outfit in 2019, going on to become one of their star players before a switch to Barcelona in 2020.
Injuries, however, disrupted his progression in Spain, with the American sent out to Milan to try and regain some form, but that has sadly not been the case at all.
He remains a key player for his country, but the versatile defender will be desperate for regular playing time at club level ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which his nation is co-hosting.
The Hammers could absolutely do with the promising talent of Dest, who can operate at right-back or left-back, or even further up the pitch on either side, with such versatility hugely beneficial in the modern game.
As per Transfermarkt, West Ham (27.8) are behind only Fulham (27.9) when it comes to average squad age in the Premier League this season, with Dest perhaps the first of many new young faces to arrive at the London Stadium this summer.
Vladimir Coufal, 30, has seen his prominence at the club dwindle in recent times, and it could be that the Czech will have to make way this summer amid any pursuit of fellow right-back Dest.