Newcastle and Aston Villa Rebuffed in £35m Bids for Real Madrid's Huijsen

Real Madrid have given short shrift to Newcastle United and Aston Villa's attempts to prise away Dean Huijsen this month. The two Premier League clubs have each submitted bids worth €40m (£35m) for the Spanish international, only to be met with a swift refusal from the Bernabéu hierarchy.

Huijsen, who departed Bournemouth last summer following an impressive campaign in the top flight, arrived at Real Madrid for approximately €58m (around £50m). The 20-year-old centre-back has since endured a patchy seven months in the Spanish capital, prompting speculation within the club about whether to persist with the investment or cut losses during the summer window.

Yet Real Madrid remain unmoved by the English interest. According to reports, the club views the defender's market value as considerably higher than the €40m on offer, particularly given what they paid for him just months earlier. The Bernabéu outfit are treating Huijsen as a prospect for the future, drawing comparisons to the pathway afforded to Raphaël Varane when he first arrived.

The report notes that until two months ago, Huijsen was considered untouchable at both club and international level—he has earned six caps for Spain—and club officials believe he will rediscover his form with continued support.

His recent outing came in Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Benfica, where the Spanish side suffered a 4-2 defeat at the Portuguese outfit's hands. The match went down to the wire, with Benfica's Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin heading home a dramatic late winner to send his side through to the play-offs, where they will face Real Madrid once more.

After the final whistle, Jose Mourinho, the Benfica manager, was seen in conversation with Huijsen, whom he previously managed during the defender's time at AS Roma. According to TNT Sports reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, Mourinho appeared to mouth an expletive at the young defender as they chatted.

When asked about the exchange, Mourinho offered some perspective on the evening's events. "Dean was my player at Roma, he's friends with my kids and the families know each other well so I have a good relationship with him," the Portuguese boss explained. "We were just speaking about the game and, of course, the kid is disappointed. But I was telling him, 'You were lucky! You were lucky to lose only 4-2', because it could be more."