Dean Huijsen Next Club Odds: After Real Madrid

Right now, Liverpool are favourites with the bookmakers to secure Huijsen’s signature in the summer. From the club’s perspective, it makes a lot of sense.

They’ve not spent much money since Arne Slot came into the club so the £50m release clause will be a drop in the ocean and the would see the deal as adding depth to what is a fairly limited centre back roster and securing a long-term successor to Virgil Van Dijk, who despite having just penned a new deal is still going to be 34-years-old come the start of the next season.

Pair that with Huijsen being well-known to Liverpool Sporting Director Richard Hughes, who vacated Bournemouth for Liverpool prior to the Cherries signing Huijsen is understood to have been involved in the build blocks of that deal, and there is certainly a strong chance Anfield is somewhere Huijsen calls home next season.

His teammate Milos Kerkez is currently odds on for a move to the Reds too.

The word amongst national media outlets is that a Premier League stay is looking likely for Huijsen.

Chelsea are said to be firmly in the hunt for his signature. Their centre backs an area of the squad due for a refresh this summer; Renato Veiga and Axel Disasi are both out on loan at the moment and look destined to leave the club over the coming months, whilst Trevoh Chalobah is looking more likely to exit the club than he is to say.

Clearly, if all those exits occur, then Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will want to bring in at least one new face to bolster his options.

That is where Huijsen comes into the picture. His young age, combined with his potential of becoming a world-class player, puts him smack bang in the Chelsea model of acquisition.

That is further enhanced by the fact that a £50m release clause means Huijsen might be easier to extract from Bournemouth than, perhaps, Marc Guehi – another reported Chelsea target – is from Palace.

Where Stamford Bridge sits on Huijsen’s list of preference, though, remains to be seen. We’re not sure the odds on offer represent value.

Despite the national press reporting a Premier League stay being expected for Huijsen, there is a clear undertone within the reports that Real Madrid is the player’s dream destination.

The balancing factor between those two things is a question mark over whether or not Real Madrid can afford the move right now, alongside other transfer priorities this summer.

With Real Madrid lacking reliable options at the heart of their defence, and Huijsen’s Spanish citizenship, though we wouldn’t rule this option out, particularly when you consider the long-term alternative if Huijsen is seen as a future option for Los Blancos.

If you consider a scenario where Huijsen is close to signing for Liverpool, then Real could hijack that deal, knowing that they’d need to stump up serious cash to get him out at Anfield further down the line.

When you consider the options available to Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany at the centre of his defensive unit, it is hardly a surprise that the Bavarians are in the market for a centre back this summer.

Sure, you can point to the fact they’re about to win the Bundesliga title, but with a better centre back pairing, you’d argue they would probably be in the Champions League semi-final as well.

Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-Jae and Eric Dier are their leading candidates in that position at the moment, but none of them inspire a great deal of confidence with the former two big names, but error-strewn.

Huijsen, who speaks four languages but notably not German, might have his head turned given the position Kompany played in, but we don’t see this as a likely next step for the youngster.