Brentford have monitored FC Twente's 18-year-old Dutch defender Ruud Nijstad. Other interested Premier League clubs include Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Brighton. Chelsea’s owners BlueCo and Manchester City’s parent company City Football Group are actively pursuing the matter. More than twelve clubs in Europe are monitoring the centre-back, and German clubs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig have sent scouts repeatedly in recent weeks. Several clubs have sent scouts on multiple occasions to assess if his early-season form could be sustained, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Barcelona had previously made a strong effort to sign the player and held discussions. Sources close to the negotiations indicated that Barcelona was unwilling to go above a €10 million figure mentioned by Twente. It was also reported that Nijstad was unconvinced by their development plan. The defender has a contract with Twente that runs until 2027. The Netherlands U18 international has made 9 appearances and provided 1 assist in the Eredivisie this season. Transfermarkt estimates his market value to be €700k.