It will have been hard for some of Europe’s elite clubs to witness Real Madrid snapping up Dean Huijsen this summer.
Perhaps none more than Bayern, who were understood to be heavily interested in the Bournemouth centre-back.
Sadly, it was not meant to be for Vincent Kompany’s men. The call of Munich-linked Huijsen‘s adoptive homeland proved irresistible, with Los Blancos snapping him up from Bournemouth in a £50m deal.
Bayern and Liverpool miss out on Dean Huijsen
Dean Huijsen waves at Bournemouth fans during Premier League game.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
At the very least, Max Eberl and Christoph Freund can breathe a collective sigh of relief that they managed to achieve their chief objective: signing a defensive leader.
The arrival of Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen (taking advantage of his expiring contract) represents perhaps the most significant piece of business Bayern will do this summer.
Still, with Kim Min-jae tipped to depart on a permanent transfer, it’s not hard to see why the Bavarian giants will share Liverpool’s disappointment in the matter.
“FC Bayern were very interested in the Spaniard. But they hesitated too long,” Christian Falk exclusively informed CF Bayern Insider.
“By the time the club contacted Huijsen, Real Madrid had already finalised a deal with him. Annoying for Bayern. They would have loved to get the player.”
The Merseysiders are, admittedly, well-stocked for centre-backs between Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah.
That said, amid concerns over the French international’s expiring contract and Gomez’s ongoing injury struggles, the addition of Huijsen would have alleviated some pressure.
The Bundesliga will be poorer without Huijsen
At 20 years of age, the Spanish international already looks a ‘phenomenal’ defensive talent.
DataMB‘s statistical analysis places Huijsen shoulder to shoulder with Bayern’s leading centre-backs for progressive passes, defensive duels won and progressive carries.
Data MB stats on Dean Huijsen, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae.
(Stats courtesy of DataMB)
We’re talking about a young defender who is more than defensively competent and able to confidently advance play by either carrying the ball or playing a pass.
That’s all quite remarkable given Bournemouth are a side that saw less possession of the ball than Southampton in 2024/25.
A loss for both the Premier League and Bundesliga!
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