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AFC Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen has been linked with several clubs including Liverpool, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Liverpool could be prepared to suffer a double blow inflicted by Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, reports suggest.
The Reds will be braced to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold to the Spanish giants. Reports suggest that Liverpool’s vice-captain is finalising a deal to join Los Blancos on a free transfer, having yet to sign a new contract at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold’s deal at his boyhood club expires at the end of June - and Real have been keen to add him to their squad for several months.
It means that Liverpool will lose one of their key players despite being on the verge of winning the Premier League title this season and he will need to be replaced. A right-back appears to be added to the Reds’ shopping list, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong heavily linked.
A new striker and a holding midfielder could also be what head coach Arne Slot covets, while there have been suggestions Liverpool are keen to bolster their central defensive options. Captain Virgil van Dijk is still to commit his future but even if he does pen fresh terms, the Reds may want to find a long-term successor and someone to rotate with Ibrahima Konate and added competition for Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez.
It has been suggested that AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is someone admired by Liverpool. The 19-year-old has enjoyed an excellent maiden campaign in the Premier League after joining the Cherries from Juventus last summer. Huijsen has played 27 times as Andoni Iraola’s side chase European qualification for the first time in the club’s history.
Comfortable using both feet, the former AS Roma defender has been rewarded with a breakthrough into Spain’s national team - having represented the Netherlands up to under-21 level. He made his Spain debut in his side’s Nations League quarter-final penalty shoot victory over the Netherlands, recording an assist for Lamine Yamal’s extra-time goal.
Huijsen is reportedly on Liverpool’s radar, with current sporting director Richard Hughes likely to have played a part in scouting him while in his role at Bournemouth. But the Reds are not the only one who are said to admire the teenager, who has a £50 million release clause. Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle United have been linked - as have Real Madrid. Huijsen was raised in Marbella and was part of Malaga’s academy before moving to Juventus.
Given his Spanish roots, a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu could tempt - and Real are claimed to be ready to pull the trigger. According to Marca, coaches in the Spanish capital are impressed along with ‘directors of the club’ and the ‘race to sign him has begun’.
Speaking on his future during the international break, Huijsen insisted he has not contemplated a switch to Madrid. He told El Chiringuito: “Would I like to play for Real Madrid? At the moment I'm not thinking about it.
"I'm thinking about finishing the season well and then when the right time comes, we'll see. It's an honour that such an important team is interested in you. But we have to continue working and stay humble."