Ornstein: £50m player wants to leave club fast after talks with Chelsea

Reliable journalist David Ornstein has reported that a top Chelsea transfer target is expected to quit his club this summer, and it could be in quick fashion, following transfer talks with Enzo Maresca’s side.

Maresca under some pressure at Chelsea after lacklustre 2025

Right now, some frustration has boiled over at Stamford Bridge amid a pretty tepid 2025 for the Blues.

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Chelsea have won just five of their last 16 Premier League games, and while they’re still firmly in contention to qualify for next month’s Champions League, there are some question marks revolving around Maresca.

The west Londoners were very nearly humbled at home to lowly Ipswich Town last weekend, with an Axel Tuanzebe own goal and late strike from Jadon Sancho sparing Maresca’s blushes.

Chelsea travel to Fulham for a London derby this weekend, and host champions elect Liverpool soon afterward. Maresca also has to prepare his side for a tough battle up north at Newcastle, so these next few weeks are truly season-defining, amid their side quest to win the Europa Conference League.

Things could go south for Maresca very quickly if Chelsea fail to seal their place in Europe’s most prestigious competition for next season, but as things stand, the Italian retains BlueCo’s backing (The Mail).

It is pretty clear that Chelsea do still have some work to do on the squad as well, and it is believed a new centre-back is high on their agenda for the 2025/2026 campaign.

Injuries to key players like Wesley Fofana have highlighted the need for Chelsea to reinforce that area of the squad, with BlueCo electing to activate the recall clause in Trevoh Chalobah’s loan deal at Crystal Palace in January, instead of signing a completely fresh face.

That transfer goal has seemingly been pushed back to the summer, and Chelsea are expected to significantly invest in a new centre-back this summer.

A name that keeps repeatedly mentioned within the last few weeks is Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

Dean Huijsen wants fast Bournemouth exit after Chelsea talks

His contract includes an active £50 million release clause, which has piqued interest from a host of top clubs following the Spaniard’s exceptional performances under Andoni Iraola this season.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all been mentioned as potential suitors for the 20-year-old, while Chelsea have recently held talks with Huijsen’s representatives (David Ornstein).

Now, Ornstein has shared another update after these discussions.

He reports that Huijsen wants to resolve his Bournemouth future “quickly” after talks with Chelsea and other interested sides, with the expectation being he’ll depart after just one year on the south coast.

“We’ll begin with Dean Huijsen, there’s a £50m release clause in his contract,” said Ornstein on NBC Sports.

“He’s the subject of huge interest from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham, they’ve all been meeting with his representatives in recent weeks.

“The player and Bournemouth want this done and dusted relatively quickly, he’s expected to be a departure.”

Called a “sensational” defensive prospect, Huijsen has performed remarkably alongside the likes of Marcos Senesi and Illia Zabarnyi at the heart of Bournemouth’s defence, earning his first senior call-ups to a highly-competitive Spain national team squad.

He could be one of the bargains of the summer, but with the high volume of interest, BlueCo has plenty of competition.