Already made contact: Fabrizio Romano drops intriguing Liverpool transfer news in middle of int’l break | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool are tracking Dean Huijsen ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Merseysiders face a series of growing concerns in the defensive line – chief amongst them Virgil van Dijk’s expiring contract, which remains set to wind down at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Likewise, Ibrahima Konate’s current deal (expiring in 2026) will present a fresh challenge for sporting director Richard Hughes to navigate over the course of the summer.

In short, Liverpool won’t be able to pass the window by without potentially securing as many as three defensive additions when bearing in mind separate issues in the fullback positions.

The competition is heating up for Dean Huijsen

(Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

We’re going to have a far-from-unobstructed path to getting Huijsen to sign on the dotted line in the next window, assuming that the Spanish international is a top target.

Romano reports that Chelsea and Newcastle are admirers, and there’s the even more significant threat posed by Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.

“Which clubs? I’ve been telling you since January: Chelsea are there, excellent relationship with people close to the player, tracking the player for a long time, really appreciated by people at the club, so Chelsea are there,” the Italian transfer news expert spoke on his personal YouTube channel.

“Liverpool have also been tracking Dean Huijsen. He’s one of the players they appreciate and they’ve already made some contacts to understand how the release clause works.

“Bayern have sent their scouts several times in September, October, November, December to follow Dean Huijsen as they appreciate the player.

“Then we have to add, as we already did several times, Real Madrid. But Real Madrid have yet to decide whether they want to invest in a centre-back in the summer or continue with Rudiger, Alaba, Militao and Asencio.”

The 19-year-old centre-back’s current terms at Bournemouth are set to run until June 2030.

Liverpool may wish to move on

Liverpool may be well-advised to consider alternative targets depending on the potential scope of Madrid’s interest and how open the player would be to a switch that doesn’t lead him to the Bernabeu.

“What I wanted to add on Dean Huijsen and Real Madrid is that in these days while he was with Spain, he did in some interviews say, ‘I would be proud about Real Madrid, I feel proud when I see all the reports about Real Madrid’,” Fabrizio Romano continued.

“He’s not lying. Dean Huijsen is really, really happy when the links about Real Madrid come up, because he believes Madrid is a fantastic football club and one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“The ambition for Huijsen is to reach that level. So Real Madrid is absolutely part of the clubs he would love to join.”

At the very least, you get the sense that the La Liga giants aren’t his only ideal option on the table – and there aren’t many clubs you can do better than the likely Premier League winners!

However, the last thing we want to be embroiled in is another Jude Bellingham-esque situation where our recruitment team put all their eggs in one basket only to be beaten out by Madrid.

We’re sure there’s a plan B (and that’s even assuming Huijsen is considered our plan A option).

Nico Schlotterbeck, for one, we know is of interest to Liverpool and Dortmund’s potential financial struggles going into the summer – depending on their final league position – could prove advantageous.

By comparison to Huijsen, who is being actively courted by Europe’s elite, the 25-year-old could prove far less of a hassle to sign.

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