Manchester United are seemingly after a centre-back this summer and Juventus' Gleison Bremer is one of their biggest targets. It emerged last week that United are "willing" to make a bid that the Bianconeri won't be able to refuse.
Erik ten Hag and co. have identified Bremer as a priority for the upcoming window, and encouragingly, Juventus are already beginning to look at potential replacements. One possible solution may be to place faith in 18-year-old Dean Huijsen, who's currently on loan at Roma, but it turns out United could throw a spanner in the works there too.
United battle Spurs for Huijsen
According to Italian outlet ASRomaLive, via Sport Witness, Manchester United have made an approach to sign Huijsen. They're not the only club to get in touch with Juve over the teenager – Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Bundesliga club Borussia Dotmund also get a mention.
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Huijsen's displays this season have left a number of big European clubs "bewitched", with Atletico Madrid and PSG both waiting in the wings too. Juventus won't loan him out again but they're ready to consider a sale for a fee in the region of €30m (£26m).
Roma have given Huijsen the platform he needs
In the first half of the season, this was a player that few outside Italy, or even outside Juventus, would have been aware of. Huijsen only made one appearance for the senior side before Christmas, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 win over AC Milan, and he tended to make the matchday squad without getting a run-out. Most of his action was actually coming in Serie C with the Turin side's youth team.
However, Roma have taken a leap of faith, starting him three times and introducing him from the bench on four occasions since his mid-season arrival. He even made the XI for a clash with table-toppers Inter at the Stadio Olimpico.
Opponent
Venue
Date
Mins
SofaScore rating
Atalanta
H
7 January
45
6.8 out of 10
Milan
A
14 January
12
6.4 out of 10
Hellas Verona
H
20 January
90
6.5 out of 10
Salernitana
A
29 January
8
6.6 out of 10
Cagliari
H
5 February
35
7.5 out of 10
Inter
H
10 February
90
6.4 out of 10
Frosinone
A
18 February
45
7.1 out of 10
Both United and Spurs will have taken note of a glowing appraisal from their former manager Jose Mourinho, who brought Huijsen to the capital before losing his job. He said: "He is one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level. He will be a great footballer in the future."
The Dutch-born defender, who's now poised to represent the Spanish national team instead, announced himself with an extraordinary goal against Cagliari, picking the ball up on the halfway line, driving to the edge of the box (having beaten two players along the way) and bending the ball into the far corner. It was a glimpse into the unique skill-set that has dazzled some of the continental elite ahead of an intense battle for his signature this summer.