Barça does not want to be left behind in the transfer market

BarcelonaThe women's football transfer market is undergoing a change. Used to signing free agents —that's how Graham Hansen, Ona Batlle, and Lucy Bronze arrived at Barça—, in recent summers all transfer records have been broken. The professionalization of clubs and leagues opens up a new landscape where investment is more necessary than ever to continue competing in Europe. The possibility of signing big stars at zero cost, as happened a summer ago with Laia Aleixandri, is a thing of the past. Now, you have to dig deep into your pockets.

In this new landscape, one of the teams that has been most active is Real Madrid, which has spent over two million euros on five signings. The most expensive has been Felicia Schröder. The young 19-year-old forward arrives from Swedish club Häcken as a great prospect, but she hasn't yet played for any major European team. The entity chaired by Florentino Pérez has paid around 1.5 million euros for the footballer. It is the second most expensive transfer in the history of women's football, surpassed only by Grace Geyoro, for whom last summer London City paid 1.65 million euros to PSG.

In addition to Schröder, Real Madrid has also strengthened with Janou Levels (Wolfsburg) —from Germany they estimate the transfer at around 600,000 euros—, Elisa Senß (Eintracht Frankfurt) —figures published in Germany place the operation at around 200,000 euros— and Lineth Beerensteyn (Wolfsburg) and Andreia Jacinto (Real Sociedad). The latter two do arrive on a free transfer. All in all, this amounts to around 2.3 million euros, almost a million more than what Barça women's team has spent in its entire history.

The Catalan club has always opted for incorporating low-cost talent. So far, the blaugrana club has invested around 1.5 million euros in signings, with a list headed by Keira Walsh, Kika Nazareth and Ewa Pajor. All three are valued between 400,000 and 500,000 euros. An area in which Barça has also been a pioneer. In the summer of 2017, it became the first club in Spain to pay to sign a player. It did so with Lieke Martens —around 40,000 euros— and with Mapi León —around 50,000 euros—. In addition, this summer it also signed Julia Torres permanently. Although the amount initially paid to Sevilla is unknown, the operation could reach €300,000 if all variables are met, as explained by Sport.

Faced with this panorama, Barça will adapt to the new market conditions and increase its investment in signings. This Wednesday, the young Dutch center-back Renee van Asten has been presented, who, according to what ARA has been able to learn, arrives for a figure "considerably lower" than half a million euros. While awaiting Martina Fernández, the club continues to work to sign Kerolin, a Manchester City forward, and from Brazil, they indicate that the operation could be closed for 1.5 million euros. Should the figures be confirmed, it would be the most expensive transfer in the history of the Catalan club and would practically match everything invested so far in the section for signings.

The excitement of a new Dutch gem

Van Asten becomes the first signing of Pere Romeu's new Barça. At just 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, very excited.

The Barça entity has managed to convince the young promise, sought after by several clubs in Europe, 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 already debuted with the absolute Netherlands national team. It was on April 14 against France, in a match where she played all 90 minutes and scored the first goal of the game (2-1). This season she has played 24 matches across all competitions and has been awarded the talent of the year in 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 and I go hard in 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, that I should 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 football figure from her country. "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 centre-back joins Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri – who seems to be returning in early 2027 –, Marta Torrejón – pending announcement of her renewal – and Julia Torres – who arrives from Sevilla – in the Barça defence. Furthermore, everything points to Martina Fernández also reinforcing this area of the pitch. The centre-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 the Liga F and continuing her growth in professional football. In contrast, Maria Llorella and Charlotta Ohlander, both under contract until 2029, could feature in Pere Romeu's training sessions.