Fulham are still in negotiations for a highly-rated European starlet…
What’s the word?
According to journalist Bruno Andrade, Justin Kluivert is still on the radar of Marco Silva and his recruitment staff at Craven Cottage in a potential £8.4m swoop.
Taking to Twitter, Andrade claimed:” Justin Kluivert wants to play in the Premier League and is in negotiation with Fulham, but there is still no agreement with Roma, who ask for 10M € + % of future sale.
“Borrowing is out of the question. It is also targeted in Italy and Germany. Benfica and Sporting probed through intermediaries”.
He could replace Solomon
With the Dutch winger having been linked with Fulham throughout the summer, Silva may look to accelerate this deal after the long-term injury suffered by their summer signing Manor Solomon.
Kluivert enjoyed a mixed spell in France last season, scoring four goals and setting up six during his loan spell with Nice.
He has struggled to truly get his career off the ground despite a few seasons of promise, but perhaps a move to the Premier League could enable him to realise the potential which saw him labelled a “huge talent” by Daily Express reporter Joe Krishnan.
On top of his assists, the 23-year-old's creativity is further outlined in his match average of 1.3 key passes from last term. Add to that his 1.1 shots per game and you can see why he poses a constant threat for defenders in terms of both scoring and creating chances.
In eight starts last season, Solomon managed four goals and one assist, and his high-level experience from playing in the Champions League could have been invaluable to Fulham.
However, with Kluivert having also played in Europe’s elite competition during his career, and across several major leagues in Europe, he has plenty of high-level experience for someone who is still only 23 years old.
His spell in the Bundesliga led RB Leipzig’s Twitter channel to label him “perfect”, which suggests that at times he has been highly regarded by the clubs he has represented.
He could definitely come in and act as a replacement for the injured Israel international, and upon Solomon's return to action, the two could offer great competition for places to support Aleksandar Mitrovic, so hopefully Fulham can bring Kluivert to the Premier League.