It had been rumored for some time, and now it’s official: Real Madrid has signed Dean Huijsen from AFC Bournemouth, exercising a release clause.
As both clubs announced on Saturday afternoon, Real has activated the release clause in the amount of £50 million (just under €60 million). Dean Huijsen has signed a five-year contract with Los Blancos until June 30, 2030.
Young but already well-travelled
Huijsen may only be 20 years old, but he has already travelled far and wide in his football career. Trained at Malaga FC, the center back tried his luck in Italy in 2021, first at Juventus and then at AS Roma. He didn’t get much playing time in Serie A, having to wait two years for his league debut. In total, he made only 14 appearances for Juventus and in the second half of the season for Roma, to whom he was loaned.
Nevertheless, there had already been lively interest in the talented defender, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen among those linked with him. However, he opted to move to England and Bournemouth, where Huijsen then really took off. He made 30 appearances for the Cherries, scoring three goals.
At national level, the Amsterdam-born player spent many years in the Netherlands’ youth teams and even became European Under-17 runner-up in 2022 (losing 1-2 to France). However, he later decided to play for Spain and, thanks to his performances in the Premier League, he also recommended himself for the Iberians’ senior team.
Huijsen played his only two international matches in the Nations League quarter-finals against the Netherlands. National coach Luis de la Fuentes believes the talented player has a bright future ahead of him. “If nothing gets in the way, he is capable of playing for any team,” the 63-year-old recently told the BBC. That includes Real Madrid.
Huijsen could then make his debut for the Royal Club in the upcoming Club World Cup (June 14 to July 13).
