Report: Borussia Dortmund plan to succeed Mats Hummels with Juventus’ Dean Huijsen
Borussia Dortmund’s need for reinforcements this summer is set to be much higher than usual as many players are expected to be on their way out of the club. A substantial amount of contracts are set to expire meaning that players will very much need to be replaced.
One area that seems to be a growing point of interest for the club is center back. German veteran defender Mats Hummels is speculated to be ready to end his career at the end of this season, which means Dortmund will have a massive hole to fill should Hummels either depart or retire at the end of his current contract which expires in the summer.
To combat this loss in quality, Dortmund are looking to Serie A according to Bild to find a Hummels successor. The name Sebastian Kehl has allegedly targeted for his succession plan is Juventus loanee Dean Huijsen. Huijsen, who is currently on loan with Roma, has been garnering interest from all over Europe with his performances. Since joining Roma in the winter transfer window, the defender has scored two goals and taken the chances given to him to prove his quality.
Huijsen is a two footed center back that loves to play out the back; something his potential predecessor Hummels has become very much known for. Defensively, he is very alert and does his best to stifle chances for the oppisition very early on, and due to his frame is also very aerially dominant.
According to reports, Juventus will have an asking price of close to 30 million euros for Huijsen’s services, a free that while not impossible for Dortmund to afford, could be a strain on their budget with so many areas for them to attend to in the starting 11 this season. That being said, it’s highly unlikely that Dortmund will be able to find a quality replacement for less.
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Whether Dortmund truly try to bring Huijsen to the Westfalenstadion remains to be seen, but the similarities to the player he’d be replacing are there to be observed. The parallels with Hummels continue on the sense that Huijsen would be joining Dortmund at a young age with the possibility to become a mainstay at the club for many years to come. The player offers quality and youth that could help secure the center back position for the club long term.