Barcelona’s rebuild of Hansi Flick’s defence has continued to evolve right up until the final hours of the transfer window.
Marc Casado, Hector Fort and Alvaro Cortes have all been eased towards the exit as the club reshapes its options at the back, with Cortes’ departure in particular leaving Deco short of another promising young centre-back.
Joao Cancelo and Rodri have already arrived this summer as senior reinforcements, but the sporting director’s appetite for one more youthful addition has not gone away.
That search has repeatedly circled back to one name in the Netherlands over recent weeks.
Barcelona are considering a late move for FC Twente centre-back Ruud Nijstad, according to journalist Nil Sola on X.
Twente’s €10million asking price could prove decisive in whether a deal is actually possible before the window shuts.
The 18-year-old has been on Barcelona’s radar for some time, with the club’s sporting department convinced his profile fits the recruitment strategy Deco has been building around.
Deco and Joao Amaral have travelled to the Netherlands twice already this summer to meet with people close to the player, a level of due diligence that underlines just how seriously Barcelona are taking the pursuit.
It isn’t the first approach, either.
Barcelona had an earlier offer for Ruud Nijstad flatly rejected by Twente’s technical director Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager now working in a boardroom role at the club that gave him his coaching break.
Nijstad extended his own contract with Twente in mid-June, tying him to the club until 2029, a deal that has since strengthened Twente’s hand considerably in any negotiation.
Standing at close to 1.95m with a genuinely rare left foot for the position, Nijstad has drawn comparisons to Nathan Ake, another Dutch defender converted into a wide role by Pep Guardiola, though most scouts view him as a more natural fit through the middle.
His numbers back up the profile too, maintaining over 80 per cent pass accuracy even on 40 to 50-metre diagonal switches, the kind of range that has turned Twente’s home fixtures into a magnet for scouts from across Europe this season.
He opened the scoring with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box in Twente’s win at the weekend, the sort of moment that only added to the growing sense of urgency among his suitors.
Nijstad himself has already spoken about his admiration for the club, telling Sportnieuws his ultimate ambition would be to play for Barcelona and form a central defensive partnership alongside Pau Cubarsi.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Chelsea have all previously been credited with interest, giving Twente considerable leverage even before Barcelona’s latest approach.
Barca are now expected to assess in the coming hours whether the operation can realistically be completed before deadline day arrives.
🔵🔴 EL BARÇA INTENTARÀ UN ÚLTIM FITXATGE
🇳🇱 Ruud Nijstad, central esquerrà del Twente, és un dels noms sobre la taula de la secretaria tècnica, però el club demana uns deu milions pel fitxatge
ℹ️ Informa @Nilsola10 #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/QGutjzScjC
— Què T’hi Jugues (@QueThiJugues) August 31, 2026
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