According to Sport, FC Barcelona sporting director Deco has immediately shifted focus to defence after nearly signing Gabriel Jesus. With the transfer window in its final stages, the club's top priority is to sign a young and promising left-footed centre-back. The 18-year-old Twente centre-back Ruud Nijstad is a key target that Deco is pushing to acquire.

As the transfer window enters its final phase, activity at FC Barcelona has intensified significantly. Following the unexpected signing of Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, Deco's department has immediately adjusted its transfer strategy. As Sport previously reported, Barcelona's top priority in this final stage of the transfer window is to sign a left-footed centre-back to strengthen the defence. The player profile the club is seeking is very specific: young, with significant development potential, and the financial terms must comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

The need to sign a new centre-back has also had implications within Barcelona's youth academy, most notably the recent departure of academy defender Álvaro Cortés. The young defender had previously participated in pre-season training under Flick and hoped to gradually establish himself in the first team, but ultimately decided to leave a few days ago. With a squad spot now available and a clear tactical need for the team, the name Deco is currently highlighting on the transfer list is Nijstad.

Deco is pushing hard for the signing of the 18-year-old Dutch centre-back from Twente. This is not a sudden interest driven by the approaching transfer deadline. Barcelona's technical department had previously received excellent scouting reports on Nijstad, and a few months ago Deco himself and João Amaral even travelled to the Netherlands twice to establish contact with people close to the player and lay the groundwork for a potential deal.

Nijstad fits the profile of the modern centre-back required for Flick's high defensive line. Standing 1.95 metres tall, he possesses excellent physical attributes and can play clean passes from the back with his left foot. He is strong in aerial duels and has the ability to carry the ball forward and break through opposing defensive lines. In the Netherlands, Nijstad's development and playing style are already being compared to players like Dean Huijsen.

Barcelona has also clarified that pursuing Nijstad's transfer is entirely independent of the recent signing of 16-year-old Mikael Baza. Baza's goal upon arrival at La Masia is simply to strengthen the Juvenil B team and continue his development and training phases.

However, securing Nijstad will not be straightforward. With only hours remaining before the transfer window closes, Twente is very reluctant to let their highly-valued young player leave at this time. Twente believes Nijstad still has room to develop in the Eredivisie. Head coach John van den Brom has also publicly stated that media reports about the player could create instability for such a young talent.

Working in Barcelona's favour is the player's own ambition. Nijstad recently extended his contract until 2029, but when asked about Barcelona in July, he directly expressed his desire. Nijstad said at the time: "To play for Barcelona and form a centre-back partnership with Cubarsí, that would certainly be my ultimate goal."

Now, as the transfer window closure approaches, Deco's challenge is to fulfil Nijstad's objective before the deadline expires.

Übersetzt von KI.

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