According to the Northern Echo, Newcastle United have made AFC Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen their number-one centre-back target this summer.
Newcastle United supporters have had all of their long-awaited dreams come true in the last few days, finally ending their 70-year trophy drought at Wembley Stadium in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Despite being considered underdogs against their Premier League-leading opponents, they rightfully earned their title with the team working hard to write their names in the long-term history of the club.
Indeed, celebrations will understandably go on for weeks to come but after the international break, there will be only ten Premier League games left to secure a higher-ranking European qualification, with the Conference League already secured.
While the players who gave Newcastle their first major trophy in over half a century will live forever in the memories of those who were lucky enough to experience their monumental victory, moving forward improvements to the squad will be much needed to continue to compete and break down barriers.
The summer transfer window marks a huge opportunity for sporting director Paul Mitchell to flex his recruitment expertise by adding crucial depth and improvements to the squad ahead of next season.
A centre-back has been a long-standing recruitment focus for the Magpies, with a £60m failed attempt to sign Crystal Palace ace Marc Guehi a strong example of their efforts to bolster the back-line.
Now it is being reported that Newcastle will move on from Guehi and have instead made AFC Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen their number-one centre-back target this summer.
The Northern Echo claims that although Fabian Schar is expected to extend his stay on Tyneside, there is major doubt about Jamaal Lascelles’ future as he has struggled to recover from his ACL injury last year.
European giants Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all also linked to Huijsen and the Newcastle hierarchy are under no illusions that it won’t be a challenge to convince the Spain international to choose St James’ Park instead.
Should Newcastle sign Dean Huijsen?
Considering Eddie Howe’s huge success with the development of Anthony Gordon and, more recently, Lewis Hall it should be a tempting prospect for Huijsen to move to Tyneside to take his game to the next level.
The talented 19-year-old also has the space to develop and become a guaranteed starter for Newcastle with Fabian Schar in the latter stages of his career, which could give them an advantage on securing his signature this summer.
Over 23 Premier League appearances, Huijsen – hailed “phenomenal” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – has scored two goals, successfully completed 50% of his dribbles and 56% of his duels, as well as averaging 3.5 ball recoveries, 5.5 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per game.
It is reported that the youthful centre-back has a £50m release clause which should not be out of reach for Newcastle this summer, but with the level of competition they would need to act fast to secure his services next season.