£50m Liverpool target spotted holding Newcastle United shirt amid summer transfer links
Dean Huijsen was spotted holding a Newcastle United shirt in a social media post as speculation surrounding his future continues.
The 19-year-old defender has been linked with a move away from AFC Bournemouth in the summer having impressed since his arrival from Juventus last summer. Huijsen is understood to have a £50million release clause in his contract at Bournemouth, which can be triggered from this summer.
If that happens, The Cherries stand to make a significant profit on the Spain Under-21s international, who joined for less than £15million in 2024. Huijsen recently impressed for Bournemouth in a 4-1 win against Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Since then, The Magpies have been heavily linked with a summer move. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported Huijsen’s £50million release clause and claimed Newcastle are in ‘constant’ communication with Bournemouth regarding the defender’s situation.
To add further fuel to the fire, Huijsen posted an image of himself on Instagram holding an Alexander Isak Newcastle United shirt as he browsed his collection. Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted that the defender was also holding a Liverpool third shirt underneath.
Huijsen has also been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer. Whether the timing of his post was just a coincidence amid the transfer speculation, typically it has captured the imagination of supporters on social media - although let’s not read too much into it just yet!
Newcastle United targeting defensive additions
Newcastle’s interest in Huijsen makes sense given the club’s need for defensive additions as well as younger players. The Magpies recently loaned Lloyd Kelly to Juventus in a deal which includes an obligation to buy for around £20million.
A unique transfer merry-go-round of sorts has emerged involving Huijsen and Kelly in the past 12 months. The 19-year-old was signed by Bournemouth following Kelly’s departure last summer.
Kelly then joined Juventus to bolster their defence six months after Huijsen’s departure. Now with Kelly set to join Juve permanently, Newcastle could turn to Huijsen to strengthen their defence in the summer.
Newcastle have an ageing back line with 25-year-old Sven Botman the club’s only senior centre-back under the age of 30. Huijsen ticks a lot of boxes for Newcastle in terms of his age and profile, not to mention a £50million release clause that would circumvent the type of negotiation process they faced with Marc Guehi and Crystal Palace last summer.