Newcastle United are set to officially miss out on Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid.
It was recently reported that Newcastle were cooling their interest in Huijsen, amid fears that the 20-year-old wanted to move elsewhere.
Those fears have proven to be correct, with Real Madrid moving in to sign Huijsen from Bournemouth.
Newcastle United will cross his name off their list of centre-back targets.
Fortunately, Eddie Howe has other options. Newcastle want Marc Guehi after missing out on the Crystal Palace captain last year. Elsewhere, Brentford defender Nathan Collins is on Newcastle’s radar.
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Newcastle United discover Illia Zabarnyi asking price
Newcastle are interested in Illia Zabarnyi too.
He has formed a brilliant partnership with Huijsen at Bournemouth, but they are about to be separated.
The Cherries are at risk of losing both of their starting centre-backs, with the Magpies taking a look at the Ukrainian. Like Huijsen, he has had an excellent season, which is why Bournemouth are in a strong position to command a huge fee.
According to the i Paper, Zabarnyi’s asking price is around £50million this summer.
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If the Magpies are able to sign the 22-year-old defender for £50million, he would become one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever. He would rank third below Alexander Isak (£63million) and Sandro Tonali (£55million).
Bournemouth could more than double their money, having bought Zabarnyi for £24million in January 2023.
Newcastle United’s Illia Zabarnyi problem
Having done so well this season, there are fears that Andoni Iraola’s side could be torn apart.
Huijsen is set to leave, while Zabarnyi is not the only other player who is attracting major transfer interest.
Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo could also depart, with the latter on Newcastle’s radar. He has been named as an option for Eddie Howe, but a deal feels unlikely. Semenyo will cost Newcastle a huge amount of money, with a fee of £70million required.
When it comes to Zabarnyi, the big problem could be Huijsen’s exit.
It was recently reported that Bournemouth do not want to sell both centre-backs.
With Huijsen closing in on a dream move to Real Madrid, it could be challenging for Newcastle to bring Zabarnyi to St James’ Park from the Vitality Stadium.