Chelsea eyeing move for Barcelona outcast amid full-back problems

The Premier League giants are keen to make a bid for Sergino Dest this winter.

Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell suffered a season-ending ACL injury last month. Manager Thomas Tuchel have used several players in the position after his plan to recall Emerson Palmieri from Lyon failed. However, it seems the club officials are finally on board to sign a new full-back this January.

According to El Nacional, the Blues are keen to make a January bid for Sergino Dest.

A potential transfer will provide Tuchel’s side with a major squad boost. The German manager was counting on Reece James to cover for Chilwell’s absence. However, the England international suffered a hamstring injury during Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on December 29.

The club’s main target for the position was Lucas Digne, who joined Aston Villa on Thursday. The player’s £30m price tag had reportedly scared Chelsea off as they were looking for cheaper options.

Upon Dani Alves’ return to Barcelona, Dest is once again on the bench, struggling to get enough game time. The Spanish club might be willing to sell the player for around €20m this winter. Despite preferring to play on the right-hand side, Dest has the ability to perform on both wings.

An unexpected solution

Tuchel has even used Christian Pulisic as the left wing-back in his side’s recent games. The Chelsea boss says he is happy with the way Pulisic’s versatility has helped the team during their injury crisis.

In an interview on Tuesday, the German manager said: “It’s true we moved him around a little bit, but in the end they want to play, and it’s a good thing if they can play more positions.

“You can always argue I would have been more consistent or better if I had one clear position, but maybe then you have less minutes or you face even more competition, because up front we have two or three players in every position.

“So first of all it’s a good thing, it was also a bad sign because it means we had trouble on the left and right wing-back with injuries and he helped us out there.

“We are happy with the impact that he has.

“He can play a lot of minutes, he needs to play a lot of minutes, he has a physical ability that can help us.

“Of course everybody wants him to have numbers, everybody wants him to be effective, and we can improve everybody, we can improve on that. And from there we go, this is the situation.”