Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and their new sporting director Andrea Berta are reportedly huge fans of Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.
The Gunners are reported as being one of a number of big clubs eyeing up Huijsen this summer, along with current league leaders Liverpool.
That’s according to David Ornstein as he answered fans’ questions in a piece for the Athletic, with the reliable journalist suggesting Huijsen to Arsenal could be one to watch for the summer.
It’s not entirely straightforward, however, as Arsenal have plenty of depth in defence as it is, so a deal for Huijsen might only be possible if someone like Jakub Kiwior is sold first.
Arsenal surely don’t need to risk replacing Jakub Kiwior with Dean Huijsen
Arsenal have other issues to look at this summer, so it’s hard to see the logic in making defence one of their priorities.
Huijsen is clearly an outstanding young talent, and is sure to earn himself a big move, but it’s also hard to see him starting a lot of games at the Emirates Stadium.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are an outstanding first-choice centre-back pairing, while Kiwior has proven himself to be a very reliable squad player.
Huijsen surely won’t work his way past Saliba or Gabriel into Arteta’s starting XI, and it’s also hard to see the logic in spending big money on him only to then put him on the bench.
Kiwior has seemed happy to be a squad player at Arsenal, but Huijsen probably wouldn’t, and he’d surely get opportunities to become more of a key player at other top clubs.
Overall, it’s perhaps hard to see a deal for the Spain international coming, though it will be interesting to see if Kiwior ultimately decides to move on in order to play more often himself.