SURPRISE: Liverpool can upgrade their defence with one transfer

Liverpool are among FIVE Premier League clubs who have now made contact with Dean Huijsen’s representatives. The other teams include Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham.

That’s according to the latest report from GIVEMESPORT, which claims the Spaniard’s future is nonetheless likely to lie in the Premier League.

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However, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid could also emerge as contenders for his signature. One thing is for certain - there won’t be a bidding war for the Bournemouth centre-back because his current contract is said to contain a £50 million release clause.

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That ensures that the offer and conditions which appeal most to Huijsen ought to win out and Liverpool have one key advantage in trying to lure the 19-year-old to Anfield.

It comes in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, whose impending contract extension will tie him to the club until 2027. Van Dijk was recently named as the best centre-back in the world by Huijsen, a Dutch-born defender who has thrown his international lot in with Spain.

Huijsen names Van Dijk as the greatest

Instead of coming to the club to REPLACE Van Dijk, as previously mentioned, the stopper will have the opportunity to learn at the knee of perhaps the greatest Premier League central defender of all time.

But there’s no point in signing Huijsen for the sums involved if they are just going to put him on the bench. Liverpool have a well-established central defensive partnership in the shape of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Given that axis has taken the Reds to the brink of the Premier League title, it would be a tough ask for a relatively inexperienced teenager to break into the team.

Other teams surely have a pressing need for reinforcements; from the list above, Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea for example could offer Huijsen a quicker route into the first-team reckoning.

However, if a space opens up in the centre of Liverpool’s defence then Huijsen could find his way to Anfield as a first preference.

Konate out, Huijsen in?

This is bound to be a summer of transition for head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes, especially in light of Konate’s current contract predicament.

The Frenchman is out of contract in summer 2026 and so far there has been no breakthrough in talks over a new deal.

He is reported to be seeking a £200,000 weekly salary, catapulting him into the category of Liverpool’s highest earners alongside Van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

Paris Saint-Germain are ready to put severe pressure on Liverpool’s position this summer by testing their resolve over Konate.

If no compromise is reached over Konate’s deal then this could well be the final opportunity to bank any sort of decent fee for the France World Cup finalist.

FSG will be seeking to avoid a repeat of this season’s contract mess, where uncertainty raged over Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With a year left on his deal, Liverpool could go someway towards adding to their Huijsen funds, significantly reducing their outlay. And that, in turn, frees up a first-team slot for Huijsen in the long-term.

Given his age, he is likely to star at the club for at least a decade - the first part of which would be alongside Van Dijk.

Short-term pain for long-term gain?

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Liverpool will be loath to lose another high-quality defender in his peak years for free so soon after Trent Alexander-Arnold. But if they move fast on both deals then Huijsen in and Konate out can be a seamless transition.