Barcelona find new position for 31-year-old captain – report

After Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win against eternal rivals Real Madrid in a pre-season Clasico in Dallas, the Catalans have now pinpointed some areas for improvement within the squad, particularly to shore up their right-back position.

According to SPORT, Barcelona have made an important decision regarding the future of two of their players; namely Sergi Roberto and Sergino Dest.

Roberto’s new role

Having been named first-choice captain for the upcoming 2023/24 season, Sergi Roberto will likely take up a role in the midfield.

As one of the most experienced players in the team, he will likely be a mentor to the younger players coming through.

In a season where midfield competition is very fierce, it is unlikely that Roberto gets a regular starting role in the squad, but as he has proven multiple times, he can be available in a multitude of roles in case of injury.

As Barcelona continue to grapple with balancing their books, they may not be able to let go of a player who can provide depth in different positions to err on the side of caution.

Dest on his way out

The American right-back made a couple of short cameos against Arsenal and Real Madrid, but seemed to have some very nervy moments and seemed rather unassured when defending in 1v1 situations.

His loan spell with AC Milan was also not very successful, which has put a dampener on Barcelona’s plan to sell him on. Initially a very promising talent, Dest never managed to break into the first team consistently, and soon was phased out of the project entirely.

The Catalans are now looking to sign Ivan Fresneda to shore up their right-back position, with the staff a huge fan of the player and looking to facilitate his arrival as soon as possible.