PSV want to buy Barcelona loanee but face two problems

Dortmund's German forward #11 Marco Reus (L) and PSV's US midfielder #08 Sergino Dest fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, first leg football match between against PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund at the The Philips Stadium, in Eindhoven on February 20, 2024.

Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

FC Barcelona have several players out on loan this season, but the USA international, Sergino Dest, is standing out the most with his performances for the Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven.

The Dutch club is so satisfied with Dest’s performances that they have already decided to exercise the option of keeping the fullback permanently by paying €10 million to Barcelona at the end of this loan period.

As there is already a stipulation for this possibility in Dest’s contract, PSV are not too concerned about their negotiations with Barcelona for the player. However, as SPORT has reported, there are two internal matters that PSV are looking to solve before they can be sure of getting the player permanently.

Firstly, the Dutch club understands that they will have to qualify for the Champions League to convince the player to become a permanent part of their squad going forward.

As things stand, this is also not likely to be a problem for the Dutch club, as they are currently atop the Eredivisie table, with a ten-point cushion over the second-placed Feyenoord. But they still have to mathematically ensure their way to the Champions League before Dest will agree to permanently join them.

Secondly, PSV will also have to take on the full wages of the player if they buy him permanently, and this is the most concerning problem for the Dutch club. They will have to make a significant financial sacrifice to integrate Dest permanently into their squad, and can also ask Dest for a salary reduction if he wants to keep playing with them.

The negotiations with Barcelona are also not too worrisome an aspect for the Dutch club, even though they are aware that the Catalans would not be able to give them a significant discount because of their own financial problems. Thus, they will have to pay the full €10 million to get the fullback.