Bournemouth are pushing for their first real signing of the summer, with Alex Paulsen and Daniel Jebbison both younger talents that look set for loan spells in the Championship for the 2024/25 season. Dean Huijsen has attracted a lot of interest, but the Cherries are one of the clubs battling for his signature.
Bournemouth in Fierce Race for Dean Huijsen’s Signature
Dean Huijsen to Decide Next Club ‘Very Soon’
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Huijsen is expected to decide his next club “very soon”. Many attractive sides are battling for the centre-back: Bournemouth and Stuttgart are “pushing to get it done this week” whilst Wolfsburg, AS Monaco, and Aston Villa are also interested.
Stuttgart have made an initial bid but Bournemouth are “insisting to get the deal done” with negotiations accelerating. Juventus want to sell the player as soon as possible to proceed in their efforts to sign Jean-Clair Todibo.
The Cherries will hope that Huijsen is attracted to their exciting project, but Stuttgart have just finished 2nd in the Bundesliga ahead of Bayern Munich.
What Role Would Huijsen Play in Andoni Iraola’s Squad?
Bournemouth have two very high-quality centre-backs in Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi; the Spain U21 player wouldn’t be a starter for Andoni Iraola, but could still play an important role in the squad.
Lloyd Kelly has just departed for Newcastle United after his contract on the South Coast expired, leaving the Cherries with just three centre-backs. The third is Chris Mepham, who made just six Premier League starts last season, three of which came in March when Senesi was injured.
Huijsen could certainly play some crucial minutes as the first-choice back-up to Bournemouth’s star centre-backs this season, helping his development. Regardless, at just 19-years-old, the “wonderkid” will certainly be one for the future, especially as Zabarnyi looks set for a move to a heavyweight at some point, given his incredible ability.
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