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Liverpool face competition from four Premier League sides to sign Dean Huijsen, talkSPORT understands.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham are all interested in a move for the Bournemouth star.
It’s understood that all five clubs have held talks with Huijsen’s camp in the last week.
The Spain defender is set to be a hot property in the summer transfer window due to a £50million release clause in his contract.
It’s understood that all five Premier League sides who are interested are willing to trigger that clause in order to do a deal.
Real Madrid have also been linked with a move for the 19-year-old centre-back, however a move to another club in the Premier League appears the most likely outcome.
A switch to Los Blancos at such a young age could represent a dream move for Huijsen.
However, in an interview with The Sun, his old youth coach Juanito fears Huijsen would face drastically reduced minutes given who he would be stuck behind in the centre-back pecking order at the Bernabeu.
“Dean is going to be a leader no matter where he goes, so I hope whoever signs him they play him as a starter, and he’s not a project for the future,” Juanito said.
“He is a player for now. There are very few like that at his age, which is why I don’t know to what extent it would be a good option to sign for Real.
“No one can guarantee you’ll play because of your pretty face but if he leaves Bournemouth, it shouldn’t be to sit on the bench.
“At Madrid, Eder Militao is 27 and Antonio Rudiger is in his second youth.
“Those two are untouchable and a recovered David Alaba would also be ahead of him.
“Carlo Ancelotti is an incredible manager but not a coach for young players — so Dean would be fourth-choice centre-back. That’s the reality.”
Since joining from Juventus last summer, Huijsen has been one of the top defenders in the Premier League having made 29 appearances for Bournemouth.
His performances have certainly impressed Cherries boss Andoni Iraola, who believes that it’s his intelligence that makes him stand out at such a young age.
Discussing Huijsen, the Basque coach said: “I didn’t know about his mentality because when you sign someone that is 19, you see, okay, it looks like he’s going to be a good player.
“But you are not sure if he’s ready to perform straight away against the best opposition. That is what he’s facing in the Premier League.
“And he showed since the first day, I think he started playing the season against Forest. He played really well.
On his best attributes, Iraola said: “I think his mentality, his head.
“I think he’s confident. He is not afraid of marking any forward and I think he’s calm on the ball.
“He knows what he’s doing, he’s under control. Sometimes he will make mistakes like all the others, but there is always a reason for the things he does.
“And for someone that is 19, it’s really strange to find this at this level.”
