Former Manchester United academy ace Joshua King is still hoping for a transfer to Old Trafford, after a failed move this past January.
As reported by the Daily Star, Bournemouth forward Joshua King has claimed that he still hopes to earn a transfer to former club Manchester United, after a move fell through in January.
The 28-year-old King joined the Manchester United youth setup back in 2016 from Norwegian side Valerenga. He was part of the club’s reserve side managed by current first-team boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, the forward failed to make the jump to the Red Devils’ senior team.
And after two first-team appearances and a series of loan spells at Preston North End, Borussia Monchengladbach and Hull City, he joined Blackburn Rovers in January 2013. The Norwegian grew in stature at the club and was soon snapped up by Bournemouth in 2015.
Since joining the Cherries, King has grown into a reliable player, having scored 50 goals and registered 17 assists in 170 appearances. However, the Norwegian international endured a difficult 2019/20 campaign, finding the back of the net on just six occasions, while setting up four goals as Bournemouth ended up getting relegated.
King, who couldn’t make a mark at Old Trafford during his first stint at Manchester United, came ever so close to returning to his boyhood club in January earlier this year. Indeed, he was the subject of a £20 million bid from the 20-time English champions, with Solskjaer looking to bolster his attacking options.
However, a disagreement in the transfer fee between the Red Devils and Bournemouth meant the move fell through, with Manchester United eventually signing Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.
Speaking of the failed transfer, King said, “I will not lie, because I really wanted to go there in January, but what happened, happened. I know why things happened. We’ll just have to wait and see. There is a lot that is open.”
The Norwegian then went on to pretty much issue a come-and-get-me plea to Manchester United, claiming that it would be amazing if the club came back for him this summer. “What if United are still interested? That would be amazing. I was at United for five years and I learned lot there,” he said.
While King’s return to Old Trafford will have a ring of romanticism to it, it is highly unlikely that Manchester United would make a move for him this summer. However, the 28-year-old could very well return to the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested in making a swoop.
