FC Twente teenager Ruud Nijstad has been talking about his decision to renew his contract at the club despite interest from elsewhere and has also explained why he wouldn’t want to join Barcelona just yet.
Barcelona have been in touch with the Dutch side to discuss Nijstad, and the defender has previously said it would be his “ultime goal” to play alongside Pau Cubarsi at Camp Nou.
However, Nijstad says that even if Barcelona had made an offer this summer it would not have changed his decision to stay at FC Twente.
“No. Because I don’t think I would make it into the first team at Barcelona,” he told Voetbal International.
“I want to play well this season, and then I’ll see what happens next. Maybe I’ll stay here for another two or three years. Now is not the right time to take the next step.”
Nijstad also spoke about how he made the decision to stay at Twente and reject approaches from PSV and Eintracht Frankfurt.
“Certainly. Pen and paper. Made little columns. Twente, PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt. Advantage, advantage, advantage. Disadvantage, disadvantage, disadvantage. Listed everything out,” he added.
“At Frankfurt, for example, a disadvantage was that I would have to go there alone. Would I feel good there? Financially, it would have been a better move. What is important to you right now? I love the game and just want to enjoy playing football.”
Nijstad has signed a new contract that runs until 2029 but is a player that other clubs will surely be continuing to monitor over the coming months and years.