By Daily Sports Nigeria on May 17, 2025

Real Madrid have signed defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in time to play in the Club World Cup after the Spanish giants activated his £50m release clause.

The 20-year-old has signed a five-year deal which will allow him to debut at the newly expanded tournament in the United States.

Both clubs confirmed the move with Madrid saying that one-time Spain international Huijsen will officially join on 1 June.

Their first match of the Club World Cup is against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on 18 June.

The fee will be paid in three instalments, with Huijsen's two former clubs set to receive a slice of the fee - Juventus are due 10% and Malaga 5%.

Huijsen had as many as seven offers on the table, and had attracted interest from Premier League clubs Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle.

Huijsen has chosen Real and will return to Spain where he grew up, playing for Costa Unida CF academy in Marbella and Malaga's youth team.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who is set to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Real manager, has been instrumental in the decision to sign the defender and prioritised signing a young centre-back.

Huijsen joined Bournemouth from Juventus last summer for a fee of £12.6m.

The Netherlands-born defender has made 34 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries this season, scoring three times.

Huijsen is set to become Madrid's second signing from the Premier League this summer, with Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold also set to move to the Spanish capital.

Huijsen was subject of an international tug-of-war between the Netherlands, where he was born, and Spain, where he was raised.

He opted to play for Spain, and made his debut for the 2024 European Championship winners against the Netherlands in March 2025.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, who gave Huijsen his international debut, says the defender is "ready" for the move to the Bernabeu.

"I see him - if nothing gets in the way - as capable of playing for any team," De La Fuente told BBC Sport.

"I don't see any limits. Huijsen is having a great season in the Premier League and is ready. I'm sure he'll keep improving with time, naturally."

Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth's president of football operations, was crucial in the signing of Huijsen.

The Portuguese joined the Cherries from Roma in 2024, where he was general manager.

He was key in landing Huijsen, having watched the former Roma defender on loan at the Stadio Olimpico that season.

Those with knowledge of the negotiations say Pinto knew he could exploit Juventus' need to sell players.

This is despite one source in Turin saying they thought Huijsen could become "world class" even when he started out in their academy teams.

Bournemouth ended up signing Huijsen for £12.6m, in a deal potentially rising to £15m.

After an injury to team-mate Marcos Senesi, Huijsen broke into Bournemouth's starting XI and hasn't looked back.

He was exceptional on his third Premier League start, scoring a towering header in a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Vitality Stadium in December.

He has been an ever-present in Andoni Iraola's defence since.

Once a move to the Bernabeu is completed, the Cherries will have quadrupled their initial outlay on the defender.

Source BBC Sports

Posted May 17, 2025

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