United States defender Sergiño Dest has made his move to PSV Eindhoven permanent after a year on loan from Barcelona, the Dutch club said on Saturday.
The 23-year-old made 25 Eredivisie appearances in 2023-24 and scored twice as PSV won their first Dutch league title in six years, but suffered an ACL tear in April that ended his season. The injury required surgery and ruled Dest out of the US squad for this summer’s Copa América.
“First of all, PSV believes in me and I am greatly appreciated here,” Dest said. “I got to know the club and it is incredibly warm, like I have never experienced anywhere before.
“Those are important aspects for someone in my situation and give me confidence that I can rehabilitate well here. I’m really looking forward to getting minutes again, being important and winning more titles.”
Dest is expected to be out until the start of 2025 as he recovers from his ACL injury. Barcelona had wanted to get around $11m from the sale of Dest but his injury meant he was available to PSV on a free.
“Sergiño convinced us so much last season that we absolutely did not want to miss the opportunity to sign him on a full time basis,” PSV’s director of football Earnie Stewart said. “He has so many qualities. The [injury] situation doesn’t change that. He played an important role in the 25th national title. His arrival is a very good start to the transfer window.”
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Dest was born and raised in the Netherlands but qualifies for the US through his father. He started his career at Ajax before joining Barcelona in 2020. He spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Milan. He has 33 caps and two goals for the USMNT, and was played for his national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.