PSV also seems to be without a chance for another Eredivisie target: “He could be worth up to 20 million euros.”

In Enschede but also in Nijmegen and for much longer in Alkmaar and Utrecht, the idea is that in the future many millions more can be generated for players than has been the case up to now. It is clear that the prices are being driven up significantly at the moment that PSV gets in touch.

The transfer of Mats Rots to Hoffenheim is a good example of that, but there is another player who seems to have become unaffordable for PSV already. Ruud Nijstad is also in PSV's sights, but FC Barcelona and Manchester City are said to be interested in him as well. The eighteen-year-old defender is considered a great talent, where PSV does seem to see a future.

Nijstad has an estimated market value of fifteen to twenty million euros, reports transfer journalist Ekrem Konur of SportsBoom. “In modern football, left-footed central defenders are of priceless value when it comes to moving the game,” Konur writes. “Nijstad achieves an accuracy of more than 80 percent, not only in his short passing, but also in diagonal cross passes of 40 to 50 meters—an uncommon quality for an eighteen-year-old.”,

“At a height of 1.93 meters, he combines dominance in the air with a long, powerful stride, enabling him to keep up with fast wingers during defensive sprints. His athletic profile is even described as ‘extremely well-suited’ to the high tempo and intensity of English football”, Konur said about PSV target Nijstad.

“Instead of relying on pure strength, he distinguishes himself with his game intelligence. With an ‘intuitive’ sense for positioning, he manages to close off passing lanes in time and force attackers into mistakes, even before they reach the final third of the pitch.”, the journalist analyzes the qualities of Nijstad, who, as mentioned, is almost impossible to put a price tag on for PSV.

Nine clubs from three top competitions are interested, reports Ekrem Konur. It would involve Manchester City, Chelsea, Brentford, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona.,

From FC Twente, there is currently nothing known about any concrete interest in Nijstad, which the club from Enschede also communicated ahead of the match against PSV in the Philips Stadium. 

'Nijstad can yield up to 20,000,000 euros and this is why'

by Flemming on Sat, 21 February 2026

Share

Ruud Nijstad appears to be in the sights of several (top) clubs from Europe’s top competitions. It is said to involve, among others, FC Barcelona and Manchester City. The 18-year-old defender has still not extended his contract with FC Twente and remains under contract in Enschede until mid-2027. FC Twente will hope for a contract extension, as Nijstad could deliver the jackpot in the future.

Nijstad has an estimated market value of as much as fifteen to twenty million euros, reports Ekrem Konur of SportsBoom. For that market value, which would also constitute a transfer record for FC Twente, Konur has also provided an explanation.

"In modern football, left-footed central defenders are of inestimable value when it comes to moving the game forward," writes Konur. "Nijstad achieves an accuracy of more than 80 percent, not only in his short passing, but also in diagonal cross passes of 40 to 50 meters—a rare quality for an eighteen-year-old."

"Extremely suitable for English football"

"With his height of 1.93 meters, he combines dominance in the air with a long, powerful stride, enabling him to keep up with fast wingers during defensive sprints. His athletic profile is even described as 'extremely well-suited' to the high pace and intensity of English football", according to Konur.

"Instead of relying on pure strength, he distinguishes himself with his game intelligence. With an 'intuitive' sense for positioning, he closes off passing lanes in time and forces attackers into mistakes, even before they reach the final third of the field."

Nine clubs interested

There are nine clubs from three top competitions interested, reports Ekrem Konur. The transfer journalist shares international transfer rumors more often. It would involve Manchester City, Chelsea, Brentford, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona.

According to Konur, RB Leipzig sees Nijstad as a perfect option for their system, while Aston Villa and Brentford find the defender interesting based on data. In addition, at FC Barcelona, Nijstad would be seen as 'the new Gerard Piqué'. RB Leipzig and Brentford would like to buy Nijstad in order to then loan him out, not necessarily to FC Twente. Konur talks about an estimated transfer fee of fifteen to twenty million euros. Based on what, it is not clear.

No confirmed bids

For now, there is no official offer or negotiations. There is also nothing known from FC Twente about any specific interest. At the moment, it appears to be scouting interest—something that is not unusual for talented players at this stage of their development. Whether this will actually lead to a concrete transfer development involving Nijstad remains to be seen in the coming period. In addition, it will be interesting to see whether Nijstad will extend his contract. This could also determine a great deal about the future of the young man from Vriezenveen.

Nijstad currently does not have a permanent starting spot at FC Twente. Nevertheless, he has already been able to play quite a number of minutes: the youth international was already in the starting lineup seven times in the Eredivisie and came on three times. Two of these substitute appearances lasted longer than an hour.