Aston Villa enter race to sign Barcelona’s Ruud Nystad

Aston Villa have now joined the race to hijack Barcelona’s move to sign the ‘technically gifted’ 6ft 4in giant, who is being targeted across Europe’s top clubs.

Villa are considering signing Ming’s replacement this summer

It was recently revealed that Villa were considering signing Tyrone Mings in the summer transfer window, but with one year remaining on his contract, the Englishman is no longer an undisputed starter.

The 32-year-old has been plagued by injuries since the start of the 2023-24 season when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and missed a significant amount of time earlier this season with a thigh problem, which allowed Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa to form a partnership at centre-back.

With Mings’ future up in the air, Unai Emery’s side have begun considering potential replacements, with RB Leipzig star Castello Lukeva among the options, along with AFC Bournemouth’s Marco Senesi, with talks already underway with the Argentine’s camp.

However, Sport Boom reports that Aston Villa are also eyeing an even more unproven player and are in the race to sign Twente defender Ruud Nystad, with a transfer fee potentially in the range of €15m to €20m (£13m to £17m).

In fact, Villa have been scrutinizing negotiations with Neistat in recent days and could be looking to hijack Barcelona’s transfer, as the La Liga club’s negotiations reached a stalemate and they were unwilling to meet the Dutch side’s asking price.

The 6-foot-4 giant is, as you might expect, strong in the air and is considered a ‘generational prospect’, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur keen on him.

‘Technically skilled’ Nystad is a solid all-round defender

Eredivisie expert Owen van Leeuwen said the Twente starlet is not only a dominant force in the air, but is also very comfortable in possession and could go all the way to the top. “Nystad is considered one of the best talents in FC Twente’s history.

“He is the definition of a modern technically skilled defender and is known within the club for his composure and game intelligence. His statistics show that he handles the ball effectively, has quality passing accuracy and stands out as a footballer with a solid foundation and potential for development.””

Although he is only 18 years old, the teenager has already made 13 first-team appearances for Twente and was the team’s second-best player in the 1-1 draw against Telstar last time out, earning a match rating of 7.5, according to Sofascore.

Nystad could be an exciting signing for Villa, but Mings’ departure would be a shame and the long-serving centre-back isn’t the only defender Emery and co are looking to replace…