Manchester United previously targeted a move for former Ajax prospect Justin Kluivert, who is enjoying the best season of his career at Bournemouth and attracting Arsenal’s attention
Manchester United had an opportunity to sign Justin Kluivert five years before he joined Bournemouth.
The son of ex-Barcelona and Newcastle United striker Patrick, there was immediate intrigue across Europe when Justin broke through at Ajax as a teenager. Kluivert had just turned 18 when the Dutch club lost the Europa League final in 2017, with United boss Jose Mourinho embracing the unused substitute at full time and later prompting links with a move to Old Trafford.
The promising forward chose a different route, though, eventually joining Roma and spending time out on loan before becoming Andoni Iraola’s first signing at Bournemouth last season. Several years on from United’s interest, Kluivert is enjoying the best season of his career so far, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in 33 games, and has reportedly caught Arsenal’s attention.
In 2018, United held an interest in the young Kluivert and were expected to compete with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for the then-Ajax starlet. However, his football icon father, Patrick, who turned down a move to United in 1998, explained that Justin favoured a move to Roma as there was less immediate pressure to succeed and win trophies.
“I’m very satisfied with what he is doing,” Kluivert Snr told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He doesn’t speak much, but he is someone who knows how to listen and is motivated, I would have liked to stay in Ajax for another year, but he chose for himself.
“I think Roma is a good solution. A jump to the Premier League would have been difficult. I think United would have been too big a jump.
“Roma is an important club, but the pressures are lower. Roma must not win by force and it is a club that is used to good football. It is the ideal place for Justin right now.
“Then, who doesn’t dream of Barcelona? But Italian football is catching up and Justin can take advantage of it.”
While he may not yet be on Barcelona’s transfer wishlist, the Sun have claimed that Kluivert’s performances for Bournemouth have alerted Arsenal and Newcastle ahead of the summer window. The latter are said to be planning for the possibility of Alexander Isak leaving the club; Kluivert scored a hat-trick against Eddie Howe’s side in January, and has family ties to Newcastle.
However, early on in his career, he seemed destined for Old Trafford, not least because his agent Mino Raiola had helped facilitate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku’s high-profile moves to United. Before leaving Ajax, Kluivert addressed the links with United.
“I have heard the rumours but I haven’t spoken to Mourinho,” Kluivert told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. “A move to Manchester United wouldn’t make sense, for now.”
Following their exchange after the Europa League final, Kluivert clarified that the United boss had only wanted to catch up, having helped coach his dad at Barcelona. “He said it was nice to see me again after such a long time, because he had known me when I was a baby,” Kluivert told FourFourTwo in 2018. “And he said it was nice to see that I was doing well.
“My highlight has been the Europa League final, even though I didn’t play. Such an occasion is unique and to be there was so special. You won’t experience that often.”