Renee van Asten, first summer signing
The Dutch central defender arrives from Ajax as one of the great promises
BarcelonaAfter weeks of waiting and anxiety, Barça women's team has its first signing of this summer. It is the young Dutch center-back Renee van Asten. Only 20 years old, the defender arrives at Barça from Ajax – where she had one more year of contract – and signs until 2030. "When I heard that Barça wanted me, my heart started beating a mile a minute. It's a great honor, everything is new to me," she assured enthusiastically.
Desired by several clubs in Europe, the Blaugrana entity has managed to convince the young promise to reinforce a position that had been weakened by the departures of Ona Batlle and Mapi León. "I could have gone to other clubs, but it made sense for this to be the next step. There was a very good connection and I really wanted to come here," she acknowledged.
Van Asten has also already debuted with the senior Netherlands national team. She did so on April 14 against France, where she played the full 90 minutes and scored the first goal of the match (2-1). This past season she played 24 games across all competitions and was awarded the talent of the year by the Dutch league. "She is a very solid defender who can also play in midfield. She is very physical and has great dribbling and passing ability," highlights Amber van Lieshout-Boonman, a Dutch journalist from Vrouwenvoetbal Nieuws.
"I am a very aggressive defender who goes strong into duels. I know how to dribble and I am versatile with the game. I haven't had any posters in my room, but as a child at Ajax I identified with figures like Lisandro Martínez", defines Van Asten, who has already shared a dressing room with Esmee Brugts in the Dutch national team. "She told me she was very comfortable here at Barça, to come, as it was a big step", she added.
The centre-back will play at the Johan Cruyff stadium, which bears the name of a historic figure in Dutch football. "It is an honour to be associated with him. He was a great star, he has two stadiums named after him and he is a great example for everyone", she acknowledged.
Youth on the defensive line
The center-back joins Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri – who is expected to return in early 2027 –, Marta Torrejón – pending announcement of her renewal – and Julia Torres – who arrives from Sevilla – in the Barça defensive line. Furthermore, everything indicates that Martina Fernández will also reinforce this area of the field. The center-back from Ordis was transferred to Everton last summer, but the Catalan club retained a buy-back option. Joining them are Aïcha Camara, Esmee Brugts and Carla Julià.
On the other hand, Adriana Ranera was loaned out to Deportivo de la Corunya with the aim of gaining minutes in Liga F and continuing her growth in professional football. In contrast, Maria Llorella and Charlotta Ohlander, both with contracts until 2029, could feature in Pere Romeu's training sessions.