FC Twente is moving to strengthen its position around Ruud Nijstad, with Barcelona reportedly weighing a €25m offer and Manchester United and Bayern Munich also tracking the young defender. Twente already has the 18-year-old under contract until 2029, but is said to be planning a pay rise to discourage a January departure. The reports point to growing interest, but they don’t establish that any club has made a new bid. That distinction matters: a player can be on several clubs’ radar without a transfer being close.
Twente seeks to raise Nijstad’s value
Erik ten Hag, who has been Twente’s technical director since February after managing Manchester United, recently said several major European clubs had contacted the Dutch side about Nijstad. He also praised the defender’s choice to remain at Twente for at least another season. That public stance gives the club a useful starting point in any negotiations: Twente can point to Nijstad’s commitment while trying to make staying financially more attractive. It doesn’t, by itself, guarantee he’ll remain through the season.
According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, Twente now wants to reward that decision with improved terms. The club’s reported aim is to keep Nijstad through the summer, before interest from abroad can turn into concrete bids. A pay rise could recognize his growing profile and help align his incentives with the club’s preference to retain him. The timing also matters: January offers less room to replace a departing player than a summer window, so Twente has a sporting reason to resist a midseason sale.
The same report says Twente believes Nijstad could eventually command €40m (£33.3m) if his development continues. That figure reflects the club’s ambition, not a confirmed asking price. A projection like this is best read as a signal of how Twente wants the market to view the defender, rather than evidence that a buyer is prepared to pay that amount. His future value will depend on continued progress and on whether reported interest becomes formal competition for his signature.
Barcelona’s reported offer could reset the race
Barcelona reportedly tried to sign Nijstad near the end of the summer window with an €8m (£6.7m) proposal, which Twente rejected. With little time to find a replacement, the Dutch club had a clear reason to turn it down. The reported approach also gives some context for the much larger figure now being discussed: Barcelona would be considering a substantial increase, though the circumstances of any future offer could differ from those of the earlier proposal.
Now, El Nacional, citing De Telegraaf, says Barcelona could return with an offer of around €25m (£20.8m). The reported figure would mark a substantial increase, though no new bid has been made public. That gap between a possible offer and an actual one is central to the story. Until Barcelona puts a proposal on the table, Twente has no confirmed bid to accept, reject, or use in talks with other interested clubs.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also linked with a possible January move. Reports describe scouting assessments as very positive, but offer no details of negotiations or bids from either club. Scouting interest is an early signal, not a commitment to buy; clubs can monitor a player for some time before deciding whether to act. If you’re following the race, the clearest evidence to watch for is a confirmed approach, since that would move the discussion beyond assessments and reported intentions.
A strong contract, with no confirmed bids
Twente’s existing agreement runs to 2029, giving the club time and room to resist approaches. An improved contract could make a midseason move harder to secure, especially if Nijstad is content to stay. The length of the deal strengthens Twente’s negotiating position, while a pay rise could help keep the player invested in the club’s plans. Still, contract length alone doesn’t settle the question: the reports leave Nijstad’s own future intentions and the clubs’ willingness to bid unclear.
Here’s the thing: the reported €40m valuation and Barcelona’s possible €25m offer are different measures. One is Twente’s hoped-for future fee; the other is an unsubmitted proposal. This is more significant than it looks: the figures describe a negotiation that may be forming, not a price already established in the market. And this is the part most people overlook: even a large reported offer can’t tell us whether the player, his club, and a potential buyer are aligned.
What the reports mean for the next window
For now, Twente appears to be trying to turn Nijstad’s decision to stay into a longer-term advantage, while outside interest raises the possibility of a summer contest. A January departure would require more than attention from prominent clubs; it would take a concrete proposal and a decision by Twente to part with a player it is trying to retain. That said, Barcelona’s reported willingness to consider a much higher figure than its earlier proposal could change the conversation if it becomes an actual bid.
The numbers here are suggestive, but the evidence remains limited. No new Barcelona offer has been made public, and the reports provide no confirmed bids from Manchester United or Bayern Munich. Until that changes, Twente’s contract and planned pay rise are the clearest signs of what the club wants: time to develop Nijstad and preserve control over his next move. For now, the transfer story is about positioning. A decision still lies ahead.