Fulham are reportedly in talks to sign Dutch forward Justin Kluivert, who is not a part of Jose Mourinho’s plans at AS Roma.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Fulham are in negotiations to secure the signing of 23-year-old AS Roma attacker Justin Kluivert, who has been made available for a transfer this summer.
Kluivert burst onto the scenes at AFC Ajax before securing his big move to Roma in the summer of 2018. However, the Dutchman’s transfer to the Italian top-flight has not worked out according to plans as he struggled to make his mark in the Giallorossi colours. In his first two seasons at the club, the 23-year-old made 68 appearances, managing a tally of just nine goals and ten assists.
Kluivert spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at RB Leipzig but endured a disappointing campaign in Germany. Last season, he joined French outfit OGC Nice and showed signs of his old form, as he finished with a return of six goals and six assists each from 31 matches across all competitions.
Now back at Roma, Kluivert is not a part of manager Jose Mourinho’s squad, who has left him out of his pre-season camp. With the 23-year-old Dutch attacker in search of a new club, Fulham have presented themselves as an interested party in his services.
Fulham’s transfer window has been slow-going so far but they have made some decent signings in the form of Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira, Kevin Mbabu, Manor Solomon (loan) and Bernd Leno. But manager Marco Silva is still very much eager to add more bodies to his roster, with another new forward high on the wishlist.
Given Aleksandar Mitrovic’s sketchy track record in the Premier League, Fulham would benefit from adding another forward. On top of that, Harry Wilson, who is a vital player in Silva’s setup has picked up a knee injury in a recent friendly encounter, with initial reports claiming that it could be a serious issue.
In such a scenario, it becomes very important for Fulham to bring in another attack-minded player, which is where Kluivert enters the picture. While his career has not exactly followed the trajectory expected of him when he burst out at Ajax, the 23-year-old is bursting with potential and could thrive if Silva manages to extract the best out of him.
Able to play across the frontline, Kluivert would also provide a sense of versatility to the manager. To that end, Fulham are holding talks to sign the former Ajax ace but will likely face competition from Torino, who are also interested. With the Premier League season set to begin in a few days, Fulham will do well to close the signing at the earliest possible.
