Liverpool are prepared to meet the buyout clause in Dean Huijsen’s Bournemouth contract after identifying him as a long-term replacement for club captain Virgil van Dijk.
Bournemouth, who signed the 19-year-old from Juventus for £12.6m in July, have many suitors for the 6ft 5in centre-half but Liverpool have shown by far the strongest interest. They are expected to make their move once the summer transfer window opens.
The buyout clause in Huijsen’s contract is reportedly £50m which would be comfortable for the champions-elect in a way it might not be for two other interested clubs, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Unless they win the Europa League, neither has a chance of offering Huijsen Champions League football. There are also strong links between Anfield and the Vitality Stadium.
Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, was Bournemouth’s technical director until last summer.
Although the signing was completed just after his departure for Merseyside, Hughes – who grew up in Italy – was involved in bringing Huijsen from Juventus, for whom he had played one senior game.
It was his performances while on loan to Roma that persuaded Bournemouth to bring the Dutch-born, Spanish-raised defender to the Premier League.
Van Dijk, the cornerstone of Liverpool’s defence since his £75m move from Southampton in December 2017, has three months remaining on his contract. After Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final win over Tottenham, Van Dijk, who will be 34 in July, said commented he had “no idea” what his future would be.
Like Van Dijk, Huijsen is a right-footer who can play left-centre-back and excels at bringing the ball out of defence.
Van Dijk’s regular defensive partner at Anfield, Ibrahima Konate, has made significant strides this season but the 25-year-old is still prone to occasional errors and was fortunate not to have been sent off in the first leg of Liverpool’s Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.
Given the club appears resigned to losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer, Liverpool face a significant defensive rebuild.
Investing heavily in a 19-year-old may appear risky but Huijsen, who speaks four languages, has shown himself to be an adaptable and technically excellent defender.