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United deal off, Kluivert to stay with Milan

And so it's official -- Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert will stay at AC Milan this coming season, despite every indication that he was set to move to England's Manchester United.

Thus ends a saga that began on July 5, with Kluivert claiming that he had agreed terms with Arsenal, worth six million pounds in four years, the deal to be finalised after the World Cup.

Within days, Arsenal lose interest because Kluivert demands that they match his 40,000 pounds per week salary with Milan. Kluivert's representatives then fly down to London, to up the ante to £7.5 million.

Manchester United then entered the picture, expressing interest, and Kluivert said he is demanding his release from the Serie A club. However, shortly thereafter, Kluivert actually signed a new three-year contract with Milan.

Negotiations with Manchester United continue, however, with the price tag pegged at £8m. However, United bosses make noiese protesting Kluivert's pay demands, and no one really has a clue what is going on by this stage.

To compound the confusion, A C Milan chief Silvio Berlusconi says that Kluivet will stay at Milan, while the player announces that he is quitting and coming over to England. Milan officials then say that if negotiations with United break down, Kluivert will not be welcome back in their ranks. "We will pack Kluivert off to some Caribbean island, let him continue his career there, he is not welcome in Serie A," says Berlusconi, who a week earlier was calling the player "hugely talented".

Manchester United confirm that they have upped the ante, on the last day of July, and are bidding £9million for the Dutch star.

And now, this.

"Club officials talked to both the player and his agent, Sigi Lens, and the result is that Patrick Kluivert will stay with AC Milan," a United spokesmansaid.

Kluivert had a miserable first year in Milan last season, scoring just six league goals. He was jeered by fans, and talked of leaving in the summer, with Berlusconi's blessing. The Dutch star, however, rediscovered his form at the World Cup after a bad start, scoring vital goals against Argentina and Brazil.