“Music To Their Ears” – Paul Gorst On Clause Reveal For Liverpool Target With ‘Massive Future’ | OneFootball

By James Cranford

After impressing in the round robin stage of the revamped Champions League, Liverpool face a tough tie in the round of 16 after drawing French champions PSG.

Should the Reds progress to the quarter-final they will take on either Aston Villa or Club Brugge, with a tough-looking semi-final against Arsenal, PSV, Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid awaiting the victors.

If the club are to compete on multiple fronts, Arne Slot will have to manage the minutes of his key men. The only current long-term absentee is Joe Gomez, who looks likely to miss the majority of the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. The head coach will have a keen eye on the fitness of his defenders in the coming weeks, with Trent Alexander-Arnold yet to complete a full game following his return, and Conor Bradley also sidelined.

One man who many believe would boost Slot’s defensive ranks is Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen. The Dutchman has been linked with a summer move to Merseyside having impressed in his debut Premier League season. LFC’s sporting director Richard Hughes is well aware of the player’s talents, having been instrumental in his move to the Cherries. Speculation has been further fuelled by Fabrizio Romano’s revelation that his contract contains a £50 million release clause.

On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we asked Liverpool Echo’s LFC correspondent Paul Gorst for his thoughts on the Huijsen links.

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Paul said: “It was interesting that revelation of the release clause, wasn’t it?

“Maybe an agent wants to make it known and to do that he used the services of the man with 25 million Twitter followers.

“I think you’ve only got to see what’s happening on the pitch at Bournemouth to be massively impressed by the recruitment there and the players who are playing week in, week out.

“He doesn’t look as young as he is, does he? The way he plays the game is that his socks rolled down, and he is very comfortable in possession.

“He seems to be a defender who prefers to play on the deck and all that stuff, which is a stylistic thing that Liverpool would look at in more detail, obviously.

“The very little I’ve seen of him, he looks like a player with a massive future.

“It [the release clause] basically just cuts out the middleman, and you’re not arguing over prices for weeks on end, really, before you finally look to conclude the deal with the player.

“I think if Liverpool can find a release clause – that is music to their ears.”

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There are many contributory factors that make a Liverpool move for Dean Huijsen feel plausible. He has impressed in his brief Premier League career and has appearances for Italian giants Roma and Juventus under his belt. Richard Hughes will know both the player and the terms of his Bournemouth deal intimately having brought him to England in the first place. The existence of a release clause removes the prospect of a summer of haggling should Liverpool find the quoted fee agreeable.

At the age of just 19, Huijsen would be afforded the luxury of growing into the side should Virgil van Dijk extend his stay. He would also be able to learn from the great man, who would be the ideal mentor for any centre half, but especially one with ability on the ball. With Joe Gomez linked with a move away last summer and his injury struggles returning, there may be a case for a ruthless ‘one in, one out’ policy if a deal for Huijsen can be struck.