Arne Slot’s second summer in charge of Liverpool is set to be a busy one, with defensive reinforcements seemingly high on the club’s radar.
Liverpool are targeting five positions this upcoming window, with a long-term option at centre-back reportedly on their wishlist.
As Virgil van Dijk’s contract situation lingers on, Slot will be wanting to future-proof his defence moving forward and it seems Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen could be the answer for Liverpool.
The 19-year-old’s impressive displays on the south coast have seemingly caught the eye of the Reds, with Huijsen’s £50m valuation potentially tempting Liverpool into a summer swoop.
With this in mind, the Bournemouth star has since added fuel to these rumours following his recent comments about Liverpool captain Van Dijk.
Liverpool target Dean Huijsen hails Virgil van Dijk
Huijsen’s performances for the Cherries haven’t only caught the eye of Liverpool, they have also garnered attention on the international stage, with the defender recently receiving his first senior call-up to the Spain national team.
The Bournemouth star is expected to make his debut in the Nations League quarter-finals against the Netherlands, lining up against Van Dijk in the process.
Speaking to Relevo ahead of his debut, Huijsen has sung the praises of the Liverpool skipper after being questioned which players he looks up to.
“There are some very good center-backs in the world, like Van Dijk, who I think is the best right now. In the past, I really liked Ramos and Piqué.”
Gary Lineker has tipped ‘outstanding’ Huijsen for summer move
Liverpool missed out on Huijsen last summer, so they will want to make sure they can get the deal over the line this time around.
With that being said, the likes of Real Madrid are also interested in Huijsen – so the Reds will have to act quickly to secure any possible move.
When reflecting on the 19-year-old’s form this season, Gary Lineker admitted he is not surprised about the heavy interest in the Bournemouth man.
“I think Dean Huijsen has a release clause. He’s attracting the attention of a lot of suitors. Bournemouth would do well to keep him.
“A lot of the big clubs not just in the Premier League but further afield are keeping a very close eye on him and understandably so,” Lineker told The Rest Is Football podcast in January.
“They’ve been so impressive, tactically, energy, everything about them,” Alan Shearer added.
“[Huijsen] very good again. Him and [Illia] Zabarnyi, the two centre-halves, outstanding, both of them were great.”
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