Justin Kluivert won’t rule out Real Madrid: ‘I’m no longer 21 or 22, but how old is Dumfries?’

Justin Kluivert has admitted he is no longer the age Real Madrid usually shop for, but the Bournemouth forward was quick to point at Denzel Dumfries as proof that the door never fully closes.

The 27-year-old was speaking to Dutch media, including VoetbalPrimeur, at the Netherlands camp in Zeist, where he is preparing for his first minutes under new head coach Xavi Hernández. Kluivert missed the previous international window with an injury, so this break is a fresh start for him in orange.

He arrives in form. Kluivert has three goals and two assists in 13 games in all competitions this season, and he is part of a Bournemouth side that have won eight in a row across all competitions under Marco Rose.

What did Kluivert say about Real Madrid?

Asked whether it was time to broaden his horizons again after joining Bournemouth in 2023, Kluivert started with gratitude rather than ambition.

He said: “I’m thankful that I’ve been able to develop at Bournemouth. I had a really good season, then last year the injury didn’t go my way. Now I feel good and we’re playing in Europe. I can show myself in the Premier League and the Europa League. I have to keep this going, and then we’ll see.”

Then came the line that got everyone talking. “At the same time you have to be realistic. I’m not 21 or 22 any more, the age Real Madrid look at. How old is Denzel Dumfries? Oh yes, Dumfries… That’s right, so you never know,” he said, laughing.

The joke has a point. Dumfries, his Netherlands team-mate, joined Real Madrid from Inter in July 2026 on a contract that runs until 2030, so the Spanish giants have shown they will still buy experienced players when the fit is right.

Bournemouth’s form puts him in the shop window

The timing is hardly a surprise. Rose’s side have beaten Manchester United and AC Milan during this run, and the latest of their eight straight wins came in a 2-1 victory at Ipswich. That kind of form gets players noticed across Europe.

Kluivert has been a big part of it. Since arriving for €10.8m in 2023, he has 27 goals and 12 assists in 109 games for the Cherries, and the Europa League has given him another stage, while the club keep adding talent such as their January move for a Vasco winger, as it did in the trip to Sparta Prague.

It is also a long way from the years he spent moving around Europe, with spells at Ajax, Roma, Nice and Valencia before he finally found a home at Bournemouth.

Why England suits Justin Kluivert

Kluivert was clear that the Premier League is where he belongs. “I think so, don’t you? England suits me, that intensity and energy,” he said. He added that he has grown physically and mentally, and that the switch came a few years ago: being grateful and working hard, rather than being spoiled.

He credited his upbringing at Ajax for that attitude, saying hard work was simply normal there and that his qualities come out when he puts his foot down.

Still chasing a first Netherlands goal

Kluivert made his Netherlands debut in 2018 and has 14 caps, a number he admitted is lower than he expected back then. He is still waiting for his first international goal and said he has been close a few times.

“Settle for a place on the bench? You know me better than that, I have a lot of ambition,” he said. He would not demand a starting spot in a strong midfield group, even with Ryan Gravenberch absent, but he believes his drive, intensity and runs in behind can add plenty when the Netherlands face Greece and Germany in the Nations League.

Will Kluivert leave Bournemouth for Real Madrid?

Not any time soon, and that is the honest reading of what he said. There is no reported bid and no talks. Kluivert simply refused to close a door that every footballer would leave open.

For Bournemouth, that is the best outcome. A happy, settled Kluivert in his best form is worth far more to Rose than a player itching to move, and his words were full of thanks to the club. The Dumfries line was a laugh, not a transfer request.

The real test is whether he keeps this level going through the winter. If he does, the Cherries will hear more interest, and, as Kluivert put it himself, you never know.