Bournemouth’s standout 20-year-old Dutch-born Spanish-international centre half Dean Huijsen has for months now seemed a lock to depart his current club in the summer, with the only real uncertainty being where the promising youngster would end up.
On that front, despite plenty of links with [Liverpool](https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/) and Chelsea in particular in England over the last few months, Huijsen himself has always made it quite clear that he views [Real Madrid](https://www.managingmadrid.com) as his dream club and would opt for _Los Blancos_ if they showed interest.
The La Liga side have done more than that this week, today agreeing with Bournemouth to pay a fee in line with the defender’s £50M release clause over three instalments ahead of an expected official move to Madrid when the Premier League season wraps up.
Previously there had been some question as to whether Madrid saw the player as being ready this summer for such a big move, but the interest of other clubs and incoming manager Xabi Alonso prioritizing a centre half appears to have made it a priority.
Madrid had also been linked with Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté and Arsenal’s William Saliba, and the Huijsen signing could signal an end of those pursuits—though with Konaté only on a contract through next summer there will still be concerns there for the Reds.