Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen has reportedly given the green light to join Real Madrid this summer amid rival interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
The centre-back is already being linked with a move away from the Vitality Stadium despite only joining the club from Juventus in the summer.
Huijsen, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Roma, had to wait for his chance to establish himself in Andoni Iraola's starting lineup.
The teenager's opportunity came in December when an injury to Marcos Senesi opened the door for him to get a long run of games in the Bournemouth backline.
Huijsen quickly struck up a formidable central defensive partnership with Illya Zabarnyi, helping the club embark on an 11-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
© Imago
Chelsea handed Huijsen transfer blow
Unfortunately for Bournemouth, their undefeated streak took place in Huijsen's 12th consecutive top-flight start against Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah netting a brace to condemn the Cherries to a 2-0 defeat.
Nevertheless, Huijsen's impressive performances throughout Bournemouth's unbeaten run has led to interest from a number of top clubs.
A recent report claimed that Chelsea and Bayern were both showing an interest in signing the Spain Under-21 international.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United are believed to be considering Huijsen as a potential target alongside his Bournemouth teammate Zabarnyi.
However, according to Fichajes, Huijsen is keen to complete a move to the Santiago Bernabeu if the opportunities arises.
The report claims that the Bournemouth man is aware of Real Madrid's interest and would be 'delighted' to join the reigning European champions.
Huijsen feels that a move to Los Blancos would be a 'definitive step' in his career, although Bournemouth will not make a deal easy for Real Madrid.
The Cherries will seek the 'maximum financial return' for a player that has a long-term contract until the summer of 2030.
© Imago
Why do Real Madrid want to sign Huijsen?
Real Madrid want to strengthen in central defence after seeing a lack of depth highlighted by their current injury crisis.
Los Blancos are currently having to cope without the services of Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Eder Militao, leaving the inexperienced Raul Asencio to former a centre-back partnership with makeshift defender Aurelien Tchouameni.
Also, Real Madrid are seemingly keen to bring in a young player with potential as they look to refresh their backline ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, especially with Rudiger and Alaba now in their 30s.
