Report: Tolisso and Roca emerge as lures in potential Dest to Bayern switch
Catalan journalist Gerard Romero of Barcelona-based daily tabloid "Sport" writes that a renewed push by Bayern München for American right back Sergino Dest takes on some concrete forms.
The rumors of a renewed FC Bayern München effort to acquire American fullback Sergino Dest cropped up approximately eleven days ago. A "rethink" of the transfer poker that played out some 14 months ago would make a great deal of sense for all parties involved.
Barça still need to raise cash by offloading players. The 21-year-old American fullback, reportedly dissatisfied with his limited role outside of the first team, constitutes a potential €30 million asset that the Azulgrana could liquidate.
Bayern still find themselves in need of a reliable option at right back. Despite all of his experience working the right flank for both club and country, current starter Benjamin Pavard still considers his natural home in central defense.
The FCB have no real back-up option there. Both Joshua Kimmich and Niklas Süle also prefer not to play in the position. Bouna Sarr has been an unequivocal bust and Chris Richards remains out on loan at Hoffenheim.
As much as sense as such a move would make, reliable information on even nascent negotiations remains scarce. For all their dominance, the German giants remain affected by the pandemic cash crunch and cannot flash out tens of millions of Euros on a whim.
Gerard Romero of one of the local Catalan daily tabloids reports that two potential solutions may be at play. The Bavarians could recoup some funds buy offloading midfielder Corentin Tolisso at around half of the €30 million needed to purchase Dest.
Tolisso should be shopped around to several clubs during the current transfer window as he sits on an expiring contract. Romero also notes that the Culés are interested in underutilized Spanish defensive midfielder Marc Roca, who could fetch €10-12 million.
According to the Catalan papers, agents from both Tolisso and Roca have been in touch with the Spanish club. The two players have actually ended up being rather important to their German club in recent weeks following Joshua Kimmich's COVID exclusion and Leon Goretzka's persistent injury problems.
FCB head-coach Julian Nagelsmann has taken time to praise the pair for filling in. In the specific case of the 25-year-old Roca, Nagelsmann even went so far as to say that the youngster's performance against Stuttgart "proved his sparse usage wrong."
Niceties aside, there will presumably be less room for Tolisso and Roca once the team's preferred midfield pairing of Kimmich and Goretzka are back fully fit. Under current circumstances, this could span the entire month of January.
It very much looks too be the case that the topic of Dest will not go away until the window closes.