Sergino Dest is the latest player that has been managed by Erik ten Hag to be linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils have been the offered chance to sign the American international, according to 90min.
The 21-year-old, who joined Barcelona from Ten Hag’s Ajax in 2020, has been on the periphery of Xavi’s side this season and he could be sold this summer to raise money for the cash-strapped Catalans.
The right-back has also had to contend with the return of Barcelona legend Dani Alves, who looks set to extend his second stint at the Nou Camp, following his signing on a short-term deal.
With Manchester United willing to let Aaron Wan-Bissaka leave this summer, Ten Hag could look to Dest, who played 38 times under the 52-year-old at Ajax, to bolster United’s full-back options.
Dest isn’t the only Barcelona player that has been linked with a switch to the Theatre of Dreams this summer.
Frenkie de Jong, who could join an illustrious group of players that played with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, has also been linked with a big-money reunion with Ten Hag.
Players that have played for Manchester United and Barcelona
With speculation surrounding Dest and De Jong, United in Focus takes a look at the players that have played for Manchester United and Barcelona.
Mark Hughes
The Welshman had three years in the Manchester United first team before spending two years on the continent with two of Europe’s biggest powerhouses.
Sparky had one season at the Nou Camp before moving to Bavaria and joining German giants Bayern Munich on a season-long loan.
After winning the German Super Cup with the Munich side, Hughes returned to the Red Devils in 1988 where he would spend a further seven years.
The two-time Wales Footballer of the Year, who is currently managing League Two side Bradford City, won 13 trophies during his time with the Reds, which included two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
From 467 appearances for Manchester United, Hughes scored 163 goals and he was named man-of-the-match in the 1991 European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Rotterdam, where he scored twice in the 2-1 victory over old club Barcelona.
Jordi Cruyff
Following in his father’s (Johan) footsteps as one of the game’s all-time greats was always going to be a nigh on impossible task.
But after coming through Barcelona’s youth system, Cruyff went on to make his senior debut in 1994.
Jordi had two seasons in the Blaugrana first team before heading to Old Trafford in the summer of 1996.
The midfielder struggled to nail down a first-team place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and after four seasons with the club which included a short loan spell with Celta Vigo, he moved back to Spain with Alaves.
After retiring in 2010, Cruyff is currently working as a global sports director for Barcelona.
Laurent Blanc
In his only season at the Nou Camp which came in 1996-97, the 1998 World Cup winner won three trophies with Barcelona before moving to Marseille.
Blanc spent two years with the Phoceens before heading to Inter Milan where he stayed for two seasons before joining Manchester United.
The Frenchman, who wasn’t blessed with pace, struggled to adapt to the rigours of English football and it looked like Sir Alex had made a mistake bringing him to England at the the end of his career.
Blanc had two seasons at United, which saw him win the Premier League, before announcing his retirement.
The 56-year-old has gone down the managerial route and has been in charge of France and Paris Saint Germain. His most recent post was in the Middle East with Al-Rayyan, but he’s been out of work since February.
Henrik Larsson
After bringing an end to his seven-year stay at Celtic, the Swedish legend joined Barcelona and linked with up the likes of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
In his two seasons with the Catalan giants, Larsson won back-to-back La Liga titles and the 2006 Champions League final, which came against Arsenal.
Following his return to Helsingborg, the striker spent a two-month loan spell at Manchester United where he linked up with youngsters Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Larsson scored three goals during his brief spell with United and he has a Premier League winners medal to his name from that campaign.
Gerard Pique
Things could have worked out differently for Pique at Old Trafford if he hadn’t been competing with one of the greatest centre-back partnerships of all time in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
But the La Masia academy graduate decided to return to Barcelona and what a fruitful decision that proved to be.
Pique has practically won every big honour going in England, Spain and Europe, and he was a key part of the Pep Guardiola Barcelona sides that thwarted United in two Champions League finals.
At the age of 35, Pique is entering the twilight stages of his career, but he’ll be hoping to play a crucial part in Barcelona’s renaissance under former teammate Xavi in the next couple of years.
Victor Valdes
Valdes played over 500 games for Barcelona and was the club’s number one stopper for 11 trophy-laden years.
But after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in the 2013-14 campaign, the Spaniard left the Catalans as a free agent in the summer.
After recovering from his injury, Louis van Gaal, who had managed Valdes during his time as Barcelona boss, signed the Spain international on a free transfer for United in January 2015.
Valdes only made two appearances for United before moving to Standard Liege on loan, and then joining Middlesbrough where he retired in 2017.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
After winning the 2009 Serie A title with Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, Guardiola’s Barcelona paid £40m to sign Zlatan, in a deal which also fellow striker Samuel Eto’o move the other way to the Italian club.
Despite scoring and contributing to the team, Sweden’s greatest player and Guardiola didn’t see eye-to-eye, and after a season in Spain Ibrahimovic returned to Italy.
Ibrahimovic and Mourinho were reunited at Manchester United and in their only full season together they won the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League.
In his only full season in England, Ibrahmiovic scored 28 goals and at the age of 40, he looks set to be part of the AC Milan side that will win their first Scudetto in 11 years – a side that Zlatan featured in alongside Thiago Silva.
Alexis Sanchez
Manchester United didn’t get the Sanchez who shone at Barcelona and Arsenal, instead they got a player whose best performance came when the club announced his signing while playing a piano.
The Chilean was a big flop at Old Trafford and the lucrative wages the Reds were willing to dish out came back to bite us big time.
In his prime years at Barcelona and Arsenal, Sanchez was unplayable, but United got a player who was already on a downward trajectory.
Of all the players that have played for Manchester United and Barcelona, Sanchez will be remembered for all the wrong seasons on United’s part.
Memphis Depay
Depay is the ninth and final man that forms our list of players that played for Manchester United and Barcelona.
The Dutchman, who sits fourth on the Netherlands all-time top scorers list, was signed by his compatriot Ronald Koeman on a free transfer from Lyon last summer.
The 28-year-old may have scored 13 goals this season, but it remains to be seen whether he forms a part of Xavi’s long-term plans at Barcelona.
United thought they were signing one of the hottest properties in Europe when Depay linked up with his former Netherlands boss Van Gaal at Old Trafford.
But after splashing out a fee in the region of £25-£30m to sign Memphis from PSV Eindhoven, the forward endured a dismal 18 months in Manchester.
And following Van Gaal’s sacking, Depay wasn’t given a look in under Mourinho before departing to France.