David Ornstein gives update on Newcastle United's pursuit of £50m Bournemouth defender

Newcastle United appear to be regretting their decision to pursue Marc Guehi so intensely last summer given who they let slip through their fingers.

While the idea that Newcastle were solely focused on bringing in Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace has been strongly denied, it's hard to ignore the fact that Newcastle could, and probably should have tried harder with other targets instead, namely Dean Huijsen.

The young Spanish defender was grabbing plenty of headlines playing for Roma on loan from Juventus, and while Newcastle were interested, the 19-year-old ultimately signed for Bournemouth for £12.8 million.

Heading into the summer transfer window a year later, Newcastle's interest in Huijsen has grown massively after his impressive first season in the Premier League.

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David Ornstein doesn't see Newcastle winning the race for Dean Huijsen

Unfortunately for the Magpies, though, they aren't the only ones monitoring the young centre-back and the fact that he has a £50 million release clause that becomes active this summer is set to create quite a scramble.

Now, The Athletic's David Ornstein has assessed Newcastle's chances of landing their man and it's not great news for the Toon Army.

"For any top teams seeking a centre-back, Huijsen will likely be on the radar. He is expected to move for that £50m clause, which is active in the summer, and I'm sure Bournemouth, the player and his suitors would ideally like some clarity sooner rather than later so they can plan accordingly.

"We know Chelsea have been looking closely at him, Newcastle have been heavily linked but not sure I see that one materialising and even massive clubs on the continent like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are being mentioned in certain quarters. Some I speak to think he could well move overseas but nothing seems to be set in stone yet.

"Richard Hughes and members of Liverpool's recruitment team will know him particularly well given their links to Bournemouth, but I'm not sure if they're pursuing him (I'll need to make more checks) and you imagine there would need to be some outward movement in the Anfield centre-back department to create space for such a player. Also, is that position their top priority right now? Let's see. I'm sure we'll come back to the Huijsen topic in the weeks ahead!"

Will Huijsen want to stay in England or move back to Spain?

It looks like it could all come down to where Huijsen sees himself playing. Whether he's happy in the Premier League or wants to move back to Spain after learning his trade with Malaga before moving to Juventus.

Then it comes down to whether he wants to join a side that has won a trophy this season ... you know, like Newcastle have.

We're not out of this race yet, and I feel that Ornstein was slightly dismissive of Newcastle's chances, but he's the man with contacts who may have been told something he can't tell us, but until he's signed for a new club or announced he is staying at Bournemouth, we can't be counted out entirely.