On the whole, Barcelona had a very good summer transfer window, although they were not able to do all of their business. Atletico Madrid’s hard-line stance meant Julian Alvarez could not be signed, while they were also unable to land a new central defender, which had been their main objective before the deadline earlier this week.
After letting Ronald Araujo leave to join Liverpool on a season-long loan, a space was opened up in Barcelona’s centre-back department. Hansi Flick has Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde as candidates to, but there was a desire to bring another body in.
Specifically, a left-sided profile was wanted to compete with Martin. A number of targets were considered, but at the end of the transfer window, [the one identified by Barcelona as their leading option was Ruud Nijstad](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-consider-move-for-e10m-defender-before-deadline/), who is already a regular starter for Eredivisie side FC Twente despite only being 18 years of age.
But in the end, a deal was ruled out, with Barcelona not prepared to match the asking price that Twente had set for Nijstad. However, this has not deterred them fully, with [MD](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260903/1004222748/plan-fichajes-barca-trabajado-on-silencio-efectividad.html) reporting that another attempt to sign the teenager will be made during the 2027 winter transfer window.
Long before he became a regular starter for Twente, Barcelona were interested in Nijstad. They tried to sign him last January too, but again, they were not prepared to pay the asking price that had been set – that increased in the summer, and it would be no surprise if it went up again for 2027.
Nijstad is a signing that makes a lot of sense for Barcelona, especially if they do manage to bring him in for around €10m, which was Twente’s summer asking price. He may not be an experienced figure, but he has an abundance of potential to be a top-quality central defender, and playing at the Spotify Camp Nou could help him fulfil his potential.