How Dean Huijsen has become Premier League's most wanted man as Liverpool eye swoop

Dean Huijsen is the hottest defensive prospect in world football. However, there is far more to his rapid rise than what initially meets the eye.

Bournemouth's 20-year-old gem has a £50million release clause that becomes active this summer and the likes of , and appear ready to trigger it.

Huijsen's father and agent, Donny, is set to play a central role during transfer discussions and that should come as no surprise when you consider the impact he has already had upon his son's fledgling career.

Donny was once regarded as a promising young talent himself during the 1990s at Ajax but unfortunately for the then lanky, blonde-haired striker, he burst onto the scene in Amsterdam at the same time as the legendary Patrick Kluivert.

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Coincidentally, their sons are now team-mates at and both Dean and Justin have each made outstanding contributions towards another slice of Cherries history after Andoni Iraola's side recently broke the club's record points total for the second season running.

His dad Donny failed to live up to the hype that had surrounded his name following spells with Go Ahead Eagles, Haarlem and AZ Alkmaar and eight years after retiring in 1998, he was arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine but was later acquitted of the crime.

He decided to relocate to Spain's Costa del Sol and it soon became apparent that Dean had impressive footballing potential after signing for Malaga in 2015. The Spain international is certainly no stranger to tough decisions having received offers from , who remain keen on his signature, Sevilla and in 2021.

But the mature teenager decided to embark on a new chapter in Italy where he planned to hone his defensive skills. He did just that while dazzling in Juve's youth ranks before a call from Tiago Pinto, now Bournemouth's president of football operations, lured him to Roma where he shone on loan under the guidance of .

Before he'd even kicked a ball at the Stadio Olimpico, The Special One described his new signing as "one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level."

Having represented Holland at U17, U18 and U19 level, Huijsen also pledged his international allegiance to Spain, explaining in his strong Andalusian accent: "My family is Dutch, at home we speak Dutch but I feel Spanish, Spain is my home."

After starring for La Roja's U21s, he earned a senior call-up last month and debuted against none other than Oranje in Rotterdam. He later said after being jeered by Dutch supporters: "It's part of football, it also means they secretly want me in their team."

When cash-strapped Juve daftly opted to sell Huijsen last summer due to their financial struggles, Cherries chief Pinto enticed the Dutch-born defensive prodigy to the Vitality Stadium and it's easy to forget the highly-coveted centre-back was not even a regular starter at the beginning of the season.

Headed goals in wins over and Sunday's opponents put Huijsen's name up in lights in December but his exceptional ball-playing ability and calm approach to defending has left a lasting impression upon a series of top clubs.

Despite vast interest, his greatest admirers will always remain his family. They frequently visit Dorset and on the wall of Huijsen's South Coast home there is a moving reminder of his long-winding journey to stardom; a magnetic tactics board he used to study with his father.

Former Malaga youth coach Juanito said: "All those choices in his career show how deliberate he is. He went to Italy to learn and improve before picking Bournemouth when he could have signed for bigger clubs."

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