FC Bayern are continuing to work on the future of their squad in the background and are still looking at their defense. Even if the central defense seems to be clearly occupied at first glance. With Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah, two established forces are ready to go, Minjae Kim is also an integral part of the defensive center. Nevertheless, Munich are apparently sounding out the market
One name that comes up in this context is Ruud Nijstad from FC Twente. The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting defensive talents of his age in the Netherlands. At 1.93 metres, he is tall as a guard, has strong tackling skills and is remarkably calm on the ball – qualities that are traditionally highly valued in Munich
The question, however, is whether these are just loose observations or whether there is more to it than that. Bayern have recently been linked with the youngster
The topic was taken up in the BILD podcast Bayern Insider – and a clear classification was made there. According to BILD head of soccer Christian Falk, Nijstad is a concrete transfer candidate at the record champions. His BILD colleague Heiko Niedderer also classified the situation: Nijstad is „on Bayern’s list“ and is a real option for the summer. According to Niedderer, the top talent is highly sought after by many clubs throughout Europe and is considered „one of the best young central defenders in Holland“
Twente set a proud price tag for Nijstad
Particularly interesting: According to BILD, Twente are reportedly asking around ten million euros for the 18-year-old – a proud sum for a player of his age, also in view of his market value, which is currently „only“ estimated at 700,000 euros
However, such a deal would fit in with Bayern’s current profile: instead of an established star, the club could sign a promising player capable of development, who would slot in behind Tah and Upamecano and be built up step by step
The decisive factor is likely to be how the situation surrounding Minjae Kim develops. If there is movement in the summer, the door for a young central defender could open sooner than expected. If the South Korean stays, however, Nijstad would probably be seen more as a long-term project
One thing is clear: Bayern are keeping their eyes open – and Nijstad is one of the names being discussed internally at Säbener Straße. Whether this becomes more depends above all on the squad structure in the summer.