Aston Villa is one of several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, Newcastle United, Brighton, and Brentford, that have monitored FC Twente's 18-year-old Dutch centre-back, Ruud Nijstad. It is reported that the most significant interest from England comes from Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, and Manchester City’s parent company, with both actively pursuing the matter. German clubs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig have also sent scouts repeatedly in recent weeks. Barcelona had previously attempted to sign Nijstad and held talks, but the club was hesitant to go beyond a €10 million figure mentioned by Twente. Nijstad was also not convinced by the development plan presented to him by Barcelona. Amid this widespread interest, several clubs have sent scouts multiple times to verify his early-season form, and the feedback on the player has been highly positive. Nijstad is under contract until 2027. The Netherlands U18 international, who has 6 caps and 1 goal, has made 9 appearances and provided 1 assist in the Eredivisie this season. His current market value is €700k, according to Transfermarkt.