Real Madrid To Sign Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen In £50m Deal.
Real Madrid are poised to secure the signature of Bournemouth’s highly-rated centre-back Dean Huijsen after agreeing to meet his £50m release clause, BBC Sport understands. The 20-year-old Spain international is nearing an agreement on personal terms with the La Liga giants, having rejected several offers to remain in the Premier League.
Huijsen, who joined Bournemouth from Juventus for £12.6m last summer, has made 34 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring three goals. His standout performances, including a towering header in a 1-0 victory over Tottenham in December, have cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s brightest defensive talents. The Netherlands-born defender, who grew up in Spain and opted to represent the 2024 European Championship winners, made his international debut against the Netherlands in March 2025.
Sources confirm that Real Madrid will activate the release clause in Huijsen’s contract, with the £50m fee to be paid in three instalments. Juventus, Huijsen’s former club, will receive 10% of the transfer fee, while Malaga, where he played in their youth setup, are due 5%. The deal is progressing swiftly, with a full agreement expected imminently, as Madrid aim to finalise the transfer before next month’s inaugural Club World Cup in the United States.
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, set to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid’s boss, has played a pivotal role in prioritising Huijsen’s signing. Alonso identified the need for a young, dynamic centre-back to bolster Madrid’s defence, which has struggled with the physical demands of modern football “‘What has become very clear, not just at Real Madrid but at all top teams, is that some players cannot sustain a whole season or play three games in a row,” said BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague. “In Dean, they see someone with the physicality to meet the Premier League’s intensity and still developing.”
Huijsen’s decision to join Real Madrid comes despite interest from Premier League heavyweights Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle, with as many as seven clubs vying for his signature. The move marks a return to Spain, where Huijsen honed his skills at Costa Unida CF’s academy in Marbella and Malaga’s youth team before moving to Juventus.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who handed Huijsen his international debut, backed the defender’s readiness for the Bernabeu. “I see him as capable of playing for any team,” De la Fuente told BBC Sport. “He’s having a great season in the Premier League and is ready. I’m sure he’ll keep improving.”
For Bournemouth, the transfer represents a remarkable financial coup. Tiago Pinto, the club’s president of football operations, was instrumental in securing Huijsen’s signature from Juventus, capitalising on the Italian club’s need to sell. “Pinto knew he could exploit Juventus’ situation,” a source close to the negotiations revealed. Bournemouth’s initial £12.6m investment, which could rise to £15m with add-ons, will now yield a fourfold return, highlighting the club’s shrewd transfer strategy.
Huijsen will become Real Madrid’s second Premier League signing this summer, following Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is also set to join the Spanish capital club. As Madrid prepare for a new era under Alonso, Huijsen’s arrival signals their intent to build a squad capable of dominating both domestically and in Europe.
