Real Madrid has completed the signing of Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth for €57 million ($67 million), triggering the defender\'s release clause after a summer-long pursuit involving Europe\'s top clubs.
The 20-year-old Spanish international will join Real Madrid immediately, with the fee structured across three installments over 18 months, according to The Athletic. Xabi Alonso, Madrid\'s incoming manager, personally requested the club sign Huijsen before taking charge next season.
Huijsen\'s rapid rise began after establishing himself in Bournemouth\'s first team following Marcos Senesi\'s injury in December. The 6-foot-5 center-back\'s Premier League performances attracted interest from Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle United.
Madrid\'s Long-Term Interest
Real Madrid had tracked Huijsen since 2020 when he played for Malaga\'s youth team. Scouting reports from that period were stamped \"FICHAR\" (sign him), though Juventus ultimately signed him in 2021 before selling him to Bournemouth for just £12.8 million last summer. But Huijsen had a tepid market last summer with the likes of Lille, Torino and Marseille showing the most interest. Real Madrid thought Huijsen wasn\'t ready or good enough to sign for them last summer.
\"It simply looks like he\'s been at the elite level of football for many years,\" Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said after Huijsen\'s international debut in March.
Bournemouth sporting director Tiago Pinto, who worked with Huijsen during the player\'s loan spell at Roma, was instrumental in bringing him to the Premier League club. The Portuguese executive\'s decision now appears as a masterstroke given the dramatic increase in Huijsen\'s valuation.
Juventus will receive 10 percent of the transfer profit, while Bournemouth secured a 10 percent sell-on clause for any future sale. Huijsen\'s contract with Madrid is reportedly worth €5 million annually.
With Madrid\'s center-backs Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba all injured, Huijsen is expected to feature immediately and participate in next month\'s Club World Cup in the United States. Huijsen now joins the club that long featured his idol Sergio Ramos.