Dean Huijsen: Real Madrid agree £50m deal to sign Bournemouth defender

Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s president of football operations, was crucial in the signing of Huijsen.

The Portuguese joined the Cherries from Roma in 2024, where he was general manager.

He was key in landing Huijsen, having watched the former Roma defender on loan at the Stadio Olimpico that season.

Those with knowledge of the negotiations say Pinto knew he could exploit Juventus’ need to sell players.

This is despite one source in Turin saying they thought Huijsen could become “world class” even when he started out in their academy teams.

Bournemouth ended up signing Huijsen for £12.6m, in a deal potentially rising to £15m.

After an injury to team-mate Marcos Senesi, Huijsen broke into Bournemouth’s starting XI and hasn’t looked back.

He was exceptional on his third Premier League start, scoring a towering header in a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Vitality Stadium in December.

He has since made his debut for Spain and been ever-present in Andoni Iraola’s defence.

Once a move to the Bernabeu is completed, the Cherries will have quadrupled their initial outlay on the defender.