CHERRIES have completed the signing of highly-rated centre-back Dean Huijsen.

The 19-year-old arrives from Juventus, after a successful loan spell at Roma last season, penning a six-year contract with Cherries.

The fee is believed to be an initial €15million, equivalent to £12.4m, which could rise to €18m, depending on potential add-ons.

Born in Amsterdam, Huijsen moved to Spain as a child and switched allegiance to play for their under-21s national team earlier this year.

Many clubs have been linked with interest in Huijsen this summer, including Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

But Cherries have got the deal done, recently hired president of football operations Tiago Pinto said to have played a key role, knowing Huijsen from the pair’s time at Roma.

Huijsen becomes the third new face to join the club’s senior squad this summer, after fellow youngsters Alex Paulsen and Daniel Jebbison.

Huijsen joined Juventus in 2021 from Malaga, featuring in Serie C for their Next Gen team.

He made his senior Juve debut last season, in a 1-0 win over AC Milan, before heading to Roma. There he played 14 times, scoring two goals.

A deal was agreed with Juventus last week, with Huijsen completing his medical over the weekend.

Taking to Instagram, the teenager wrote to Juve fans, in a post translated from Italian: “I arrived at the age of 16 in Vinovo with a heart full of hope and emotion, with a dream to one day wear the jersey of the first team.

“I met an amazing club and amazing people who helped me on my journey and I will always be thankful for everything they’ve passed on.

“Thanks to all the fans who always believed in me. I wanted to prove even more what I’m capable of playing at Allianz, but your passion and love for this shirt still pushed me to give my all, always.

“Thank you for accepting me, supporting me and sharing with me joys and pains. Juventus will always be a major part of my heart and my life.

“This is not a final goodbye but see you later. I’ll keep following and rooting for you, wherever my path takes me.

“With love and gratitude, Dean Huijsen.”

AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told afcb.co.uk: “We are delighted to bring in a player of such high calibre on a long-term deal.

"Dean is someone that has such exciting potential and we are all excited to see where his journey with the club will go.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming him to Vitality Stadium and working together to help develop further all the qualities that he already possesses.”