Justin Kluivert was left out of the Roma squad for Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Parma, fuelling speculation that the Holland international could be on his way to Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
While his legendary father Patrick probably moved to England a little past his prime, scoring just six goals during a forgettable Premier League stint at Newcastle United, Kluivert Jr certainly has plenty of time on his side.
It feels like the Amsterdam-born speed-machine has been around forever.
But, at the age of just 21, the former Ajax wonder-kid has not even scratched the surface of his potential thus far.
With Arsenal looking to rebuild Mikel Arteta’s squad with some of the finest young talents on the planet, Calciomercato reported a matter of weeks ago that Kluivert has a £60,000-a-week deal on the table from the London giants.
Now, Roma boss Paolo Fonseca would have been fully aware that dropping the twice-capped Dutchman from his squad for Parma’s visit would have only added fuel to the fire.
Nonetheless, that did not stop him from leaving Kluivert at home as the Giallorossi ended a run of three straight defeats at the Stadio Olimpico.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Kluivert’s omission was due to ‘technical’ reasons rather than any sort of fitness problem.
In an age where the most obsessive of fans have taken to stalking everything from Instagram stories to flight records, Kluivert’s disappearing act is certain to get tongues wagging in north London.
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