Dean Huijsen will not be joining Liverpool this summer despite interest in the Bournemouth centre-back, though it could prove to be good news for the club.
Liverpool are one of a number of elite clubs who have been credited with an interest in Huijsen ahead of the summer transfer window, with the Spaniard available for £50 million.
But with a release clause in his contract at Bournemouth effectively making it a case of convincing the player rather than entering a bidding war, his personal ambitions have become priority.
According to various sources including BBC Sport, Huijsen has now turned down a number of offers from the Premier League in order to join Real Madrid.
Real have agreed to pay the full release clause with the 20-year-old “close to agreeing personal terms.”
Their intention is to sign Huijsen before the Club World Cup, meaning a transfer is expected to go through during a brief pre-tournament window which opens on June 1.
Xabi Alonso, who is set to take over from the departed Carlo Ancelotti, is said to have been “instrumental in the decision to sign the defender” having “prioritised signing a young centre-back.”
While Huijsen’s decision to move to Spain could be seen as a blow to Liverpool, who had clearly hoped to sign him, it may also be a positive.
Real Madrid wanted Konate
Given Real’s push to sign a centre-back this summer there had been concerns over a bid for Ibrahima Konate, who has been of interest to the Spanish champions ahead of his contract expiring in 2026.
Liverpool are in talks over extending Konate’s contract but with the two parties a distance apart when it comes to the salary involved.
If a new deal cannot be agreed there is an expectation that the Frenchman could be made available, but with Real already signing another centre-back it could be that there are fewer options for a sale.
That could in turn prompt Konate to commit to a long-term future at Anfield, knowing his pathway would be blocked at the Bernabeu.
Earlier this week, the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reported that there had been “no indication” that Liverpool’s No. 5 was considering a move away from the club.
Instead the hope will be that Konate and Liverpool can reach an agreement in the near future, as he is operating at a level above Huijsen and, turning 26 later this month, has many years left at the very top.
Liverpool could still sign another centre-back this summer – with Ajax’s Jorrel Hato among the players on their radar.
