Renee van Asten, first signing of the summer

BarcelonaAfter weeks of waiting and anxiety, Barça women's team has its first signing of the summer. It is the young Dutch center-back Renee van Asten. At just 20 years old, the defender arrives at Barça from Ajax – where she had one more year of contract – and signs until 2030.

Desired by several clubs in Europe, the Blaugrana club has managed to convince the young promise to reinforce a position that had been weakened by the departures of Ona Batlle and Mapi León. "She is a very solid defender who can also play in midfield. She is very physical and with great ball-carrying and passing ability," highlights Amber van Lieshout-Boonman, a Dutch journalist from Women's Football News.

Van Asten has also already debuted with the absolute Netherlands national team. He did so on April 14 against France, where he played the 90 minutes and scored the first goal of the match (2-1). This past season he played 24 games across all competitions and was awarded the Dutch league's talent of the year.

Youth on the defensive line

The center-back joins Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri – who is expected to return in early 2027 –, Marta Torrejón – pending the announcement of her renewal – and Julia Torres – who arrives from Sevilla – in the heart of the blaugrana defense. Furthermore, everything indicates that Martina Fernández will also reinforce this area of the pitch. 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 to Deportivo de la Corunya with the aim of gaining minutes in the 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.