Real Madrid have activated the release clause in Dean Huijsen’s contract and are in the process of finalising a deal to sign the Bournemouth defender.
The player’s representatives are in Madrid on Thursday, with discussions over personal terms — including contract length — now at an advanced stage.
The clubs have an agreement in principle over a structure to pay the £50million ($64.8m) price in three instalments and Madrid are working to conclude the situation swiftly.
They want Huijsen to be part of their squad for the Club World Cup, which begins in the United States next month.
Chelsea had previously enquired about the 20-year-old, while Liverpool and Arsenal were also interested, along with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Huijsen joined Bournemouth for €15million (£12.6m) in July 2024 from Serie A side Juventus, signing a six-year deal. He has enjoyed a successful season on the south coast, making 34 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.
The centre-back received his first call-up to the Spanish national team earlier this year, having represented the Netherlands at youth level.
After coming through Juventus’ reserve team, Juventus Next Gen, Huijsen only made one appearance for the senior side and spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Roma, where he played 14 times and scored twice.
Huijsen is set to become Madrid’s second summer signing, joining Trent Alexander-Arnold at the club. The right-back announced that he would leave Liverpool at the expiration of his contract this summer and is expected to join Madrid on a free transfer.
Madrid have moved to address their defence after an injury-disrupted campaign at the back. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are both sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, while David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger, both 32, recently underwent surgery that ended their domestic seasons.