Barcelona are reportedly lining up a €50 million move for Ajax prodigy Justin Kluivert as an alternate signing to Antoine Griezmann.
According to Spanish publication Don Balon, Barcelona are laying down contingency plans in case they are unable to land Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann. The Catalans have earmarked Ajax prodigy Justin Kluivert and are lining up a €50 million summer deal to land the Dutch international in case the deal for Griezmann fails to materialise.
Justin Kluivert’s rise to prominence has been quite a story. Debuting for the first-team at Ajax at the nascent age of 17, the wily customer has been tearing Eredivisie apart in the 2017-18 campaign. 10 goals and 5 assists in 30 league matches, Kluivert has been tipped for a move to one of the big clubs in the summer.
While Manchester United has been touted to be the Dutchman’s destination for quite a while, Justin Kluivert’s father Patrick, wants the winger to follow in his footsteps and represent Barcelona in the future. The Blaugrana legend’s dream might just come true sooner than later, with the Catalans interested in the Dutch international.
Barcelona have been working on a deal to sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid to reinforce their attack. With Ousmane Dembele likely to leave the club, Griezmann’s arrival will see the Catalan giants have another power trio representing them in front of goal.
But, with reports of Atletico Madrid offering more salary than Barcelona to Griezmann in order to convince him to stay with them, in case the Frenchman does end up staying with Los Rojiblancos, Barcelona are earmarking a deal for Justin Kluivert.
One of the main motivations behind a move for the Ajax star would be the fact that Ernesto Valverde lacks options out wide, with Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele the only options available to him. Paulinho and Nelson Semedo have been tried out by the manager but neither have been able to adapt to the role.
There are indications that the manager will stick with his 4-4-2 formation and with Ousmane Dembele on the chopping block, a move for Justin Kluivert makes perfect sense. The 19-year-old’s pace and trickery, combined with his flair and eye for goal makes for the perfect winger material for a club as big as Barcelona.
While Justin still has a long way to go, the Ajax star can be just as explosive as a certain Neymar, albeit in his own way. €50 million sounds like a bargain for a 19-year-old senior international but it could come down a fair bit with some negotiations, especially with the youngster entering the last year of his Ajax career, having already announced that he will not be signing an extension at the club.
This looks like a deal that could very well happen but only if Griezmann does not sign for Barcelona.
