Barcelona suffer financial blow as ex-Ajax star is set to return

Barcelona loanee Sergino Dest is set to return to Camp Nou, with AC Milan reportedly uninterested in triggering his buy option. 

Dest joined Milan on loan from Barcelona in the summer, with an option to buy for €20 million. The Rossoneri are now reportedly unwilling to activate the clause, meaning Dest will return to Barcelona.

Spanish publication Relevo reports that Sergino Dest is set to return to Barcelona at the end of his loan move as AC Milan will not be going ahead with the purchase option.

Dest joined Milan on a season-long loan from Barcelona, however, he has failed to impress, having started only eight league games this season, and 14 in all competitions. 

The USA international's time at Milan has been marred by injury, but his performances when fit have also left a lot to be desired. 

Dest's impending return will mean Barcelona will not be getting a transfer fee from Milan and will return to paying the wages of a player not in their manager's plans.  

With Barcelona struggling with their finances, their activity in the next transfer window will be determined by how much they can get from exit operations, as confirmed by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, and with Milan uninterested in buying Dest, a possible €20 million in capital gains is lost for Barcelona.

In a previous report, we revealed to you the desires of players from Barcelona's squad who are angling for the return of club legend Lionel Messi, whose contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the season. 

However, as Tebas said, Barcelona will need to offload players to enable them to bring back their hero, as they do not have enough margin to complete the operation as it is according to LaLiga FFP rules.