Exclusive: Chelsea Out of Race to Sign £50m Defender – Major Boost for Liverpool and Arsenal | OneFootball

Exclusive: Chelsea Dealt Serious Transfer Blow After Talks with £50m Defender

We’re just midway through April and there are already major transfer sagas brewing. Perhaps most notably, the race to sign AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen has gained significant pace over the past few weeks.

After a hugely impressive debut season in the Premier League, multiple top English clubs have already held talks with the Spaniard’s representatives over a potential summer move.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Chelsea are just some of the sides to have made contact, whilst there is still interest from European champions Real Madrid.

However, EPL Index sources have confirmed that Chelsea have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of the 20-year-old defender.

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Chelsea Out of the Race?

Despite those initial talks with Huijsen’s representatives, Chelsea find themselves on the brink of dropping out of the race already with the player expressing his desire to play his football elsewhere next season.

First of all, the Bournemouth defender already has concerns over the contractual package being offered by the Blues – both in terms of wages and contract length. Chelsea have been known for handing out lengthy contracts in the region of seven or eight years, which Huijsen has no interest in.

Furthermore, Huijsen strongly believes in his ability to be playing for the top teams in the top competitions in club football. With Enzo Maresca’s side currently sitting 6th in the Premier League, they stand some way behind their rivals and are comfortably less likely to be able to offer UEFA Champions League football next season.

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Boost For Liverpool and Arsenal?

With Huijsen already expressing his desire to stay clear from Chelsea, it provides a significant boost for Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal. Both sides have also held preliminary talks over a summer move and are believed to be in a much stronger position to land the young defender due to their standing in domestic and European football.

EPL Index sources have also confirmed that the release clause in Huijsen’s contract does stand at £50million and will be available to trigger this summer.

Arne Slot’s side are currently sitting 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are on the cusp of clinching the title in the next couple of weeks. Virgil Van Dijk has of course signed a new two-year contract, but the uncertainty over all of Ibou Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah could open the door to the arrival of Huijsen.

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Meanwhile, the Gunners could be eyeing the 20-year-old as an option to learn from and rotate with the current pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba.

La Liga giants Real Madrid are also huge admirers of the Bournemouth star, but are yet to have made a decision over their business in the centre-back department this summer. The prospect of playing for the 15-time Champions League winners is thought to be somewhat of a dream move for Huijsen, so that could be certainly be one to keep an eye on.