Over the past 6 to 12 months, Barcelona has increased its focus on recruiting highly-rated young players for their La Masia academy. During the winter transfer window, they signed Hamza Abdelkarim and Juwensley Onstein, with plans for further additions during the summer.
Sporting director Deco showed interest in Twente defender Ruud Nijstad. The club pursued the 18-year-old in January, but the deal was not agreed. Since then, Nijstad has been a regular starter in the Eredivisie for the second half of the 2025-26 season, significantly raising his profile.
Despite Barcelona’s hopes to reach a favorable agreement, Twente has secured a new contract with Nijstad for at least three more seasons. This development ends the prospect of the defender’s immediate transfer.
In response, Deco and his team have already started considering alternative targets, including Australian World Cup player Lucas Herrington, for whom Barcelona submitted an initial offer earlier this week.
Pursuing young players at a lower cost aligns with the club’s financial strategy aimed at recovering from a long-standing economic challenge over the past decade. Developing these talents at La Masia is meant to strengthen the first team in the future.
It remains to be seen which young players Barcelona will eventually sign this summer, but Ruud Nijstad will not be among them.
