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Newcastle United’s search to strengthen their defensive options could land them at the door of Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen.
Huijsen has enjoyed a stellar breakthrough season at the Vitality Stadium this year as Bournemouth look to secure European football for the first time in the club’s history. The 19-year-old even kept Alexander Isak anonymous when the two sides met at St James’ Park in January - a match that saw Isak’s club-record breaking goalscoring run come to a shuddering halt.
Signing a centre-back is one of Newcastle’s main priorities this summer, with both Fabian Schar and Dan Burn turning 33 before the end of the campaign and with club captain Jamaal Lascelles sidelined with an ACL injury and potentially out of contract when the summer transfer window opens. Someone like Huijsen, who will only leave his teenage years next month, could be the perfect addition for them to play alongside Sven Botman for years to come - but a deal won’t be straightforward.
Newcastle United transfer interest in Dean Huijsen
The Magpies have long been linked with a move for the Dutch-born Spaniard, with Fabrizio Romano revealing on YouTube last month of renewed interest from St James’ Park: “Newcastle are showing interest in Huijsen,” Romano said.
“They are doing very well and in case they are in the Champions League next season, investment in a centre-back could be made and Huijsen is one of the players they are monitoring.”
Bournemouth will of course be very reluctant to see Huijsen leave this summer, but their negotiating power is set to be severely limited by a release clause in his contract that could see any club swoop in without the need to negotiate. That clause currently stands at £50m.
Netting a fee of £50m for Huijsen would see the Cherries pocket around £37.5m in profit on the defender, having signed him from Juventus for just £12.5m this summer. For Newcastle United, meanwhile, paying that kind of fee for Huijsen would be the third-highest fee they have ever paid for a player, behind £63m for Isak and £55m for Sandro Tonali - and the most they have spent on a defender in their entire history.
Newcastle United’s missed summer opportunity?
Things could have been so different for Newcastle United, though, had Huijsen been someone they looked at during the summer. At that time, Marc Guehi had become Newcastle’s main transfer target to improve their defensive options. As the Magpies tested Crystal Palace’s resolve for the England international, in a move that would fail to materialise with the Eagles demanding ‘superstar money’ for Guehi, Bournemouth would swoop to pluck Huijsen from the Allianz Stadium, paying around £50m less than Newcastle may have been forced to pay Palace for Guehi had they pursued that deal further.
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The Magpies had been credited with interest in Huijsen before his move to the Vitality Stadium as he impressed on-loan at Roma, alas, they opted not to make a move for the teenager. Huijsen’s progress in such a small period of time under Iraola should serve as further impetus for the Magpies to go out and unearth these types of talents themselves, rather than being forced to pay premium prices on ready made talents - although £50m for the defender now is still seemingly good value for money.
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