Gary Lineker tips ‘outstanding’ Bournemouth star for transfer amid Chelsea and Arsenal interest

Gary Lineker thinks it is only a matter of time before Dean Huijsen leaves AFC Bournemouth, with Chelsea among the clubs linked with signing him.

Bournemouth are enjoying a sensational season, with the south coast side currently seventh in the Premier League table and just a point off the top four.

The recent 4-1 win at Newcastle and 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest has Cherries fans dreaming of Champions League qualification, with their free-scoring forwards earning much praise.

But their defence has also been impressive, with centre-back Huijsen in particular catching the eye following his £12.7million move from Juventus last summer.

Since the 19-year-old became a regular starter under Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth are unbeaten in 11 games (seven wins, four draws), keeping five clean sheets.

And, unsurprisingly, the teenager’s performances are attracting attention from rival clubs, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among those interested.

Following the win over Forest on Saturday, it was reported that the Spain U21 star has a release clause in his contract that will be become active in the summer and that Chelsea had entered the race to sign him.

Discussing the Cherries recent heroics on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said he would not be surprised if Huijsen left the Vitality Stadium in the near-future.

The England legend said: ‘Bournemouth under Iraola… their energy levels are really amazing. They press brilliantly, they counter quickly when they have to.

‘I think Dean Huijsen has a release clause. He’s attracting the attention of a lot of suitors. Bournemouth would do well to keep him.

‘A lot of the big clubs not just in the Premier League but further afield are keeping a very close eye on him and understandably so.’

It is not known how much Huijsen’s release clause is, though reports claims Bournemouth value the teenager at over £50m.

‘They’ve been so impressive, tactically, energy, everything about them,’ Premier League legend Alan Shearer added.

‘[Huijsen] very good again. Him and [Illia] Zabarnyi, the two centre-halves, outstanding, both of them were great.

‘To beat Forest in the way they did after Forest have been flying. Bournemouth have beaten Man City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Forest and they’ve got Liverpool at home next weekend so that should be a cracking game.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.