Manchester City are exploring the possibility of signing an 18-year-old who is attracting interest from clubs across Europe.
There are still a fair few months before the summer transfer window opens, but Manchester City are already making plans for the future.
Spending is not an issue for the Premier League title chasers, as they have already splashed £262m this season to bring nine new players to the club.
Deciding how to spend their money is a much more difficult task, but City have identified a young talent who could help improve their defence in years to come.
Manchester City are interested in Ruud Nijstad
According to Team Talk, Manchester City are among a number of clubs keen on Ruud Nijstad, who currently plays for Twente in the Eredivisie.
The centre-back has emerged as one of Europe’s most watched defenders during an impressive first year in senior football.
Barcelona were pushing hardest to sign Nijstad, but the La Liga giants have been put off by Twente’s £8.7m asking price. Also, the player himself was unsure that a move there would accelerate his career.
This has caused interest from teams such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but Man City and Chelsea are the teams making the most movement. The clubs are said to be actively working on Nistad’s situation, while a number of other Premier League teams have scouted the defender.
Nijstad does not have a long contract at Twente
With Nijstad’s Twente contract set to expire in 2027, Man City have a real chance of sealing a deal, provided the player agrees to a move.
The Dutch outfit will be looking to tie him down to a new contract, but a move to the Premier League could end up being too enticing to turn down.
It looks highly likely that Nijstad will be playing his football in England, but the question is about whether he will join Pep Guardiola’s team or make a switch to one of their rivals.
