Liverpool may have been dealt a potential blow to their hopes of landing one transfer target this summer, as he’s reportedly indicated a preference for another Premier League club.
Ryan Gravenberch has been one of the foremost names linked with the Reds in recent days and weeks, with reports earlier this month that his representatives met with a delegation from Merseyside (De Telegraaf).
However, Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna has tweeted (via @Santi_J_FM) that, while Jurgen Klopp’s side have ‘expressed an interest’ in the Bayern Munich midfielder, he ‘would be happy to work together’ once more with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who’s now in charge of Manchester United.
Whichever club wins the race for the 20-year-old’s signature will likely need to pay a minimum of £20m, with the Bundesliga champions keen to recoup the amount they paid to lure him from Amsterdam last year (Sky Sports).
Players reuniting with their former managers at a different club is commonplace in football, so United could have an edge on rival suitors for Gravenberch considering how Ten Hag gave him his pathway into regular first-team football at Ajax (Transfermarkt).
In theory, that could make it more difficult for Liverpool to land the Bayern Munich gem, although they shouldn’t lose hope of getting their man.
His international colleague Cody Gakpo seemed destined for Old Trafford at one point towards the end of last year (The Mirror), but it was the Anfield club who made their move and secured the forward’s signature in the winter (BBC Sport).
Also, with Klopp’s squad set to undergo a radical midfield overhaul, and Gravenberch badly struggling for game-time in Bavaria, the Reds could realistically offer him regular starts, a prospect which’ll likely appeal to the 20-year-old.
The youngster has started only once for Bayern in the Bundesliga all season (Transfermarkt), so the opportunity to feature more prominently elsewhere must be an allure for him.
Even if United seem to have a trump card with the Ten Hag factor, Liverpool mustn’t give up hope of repeating their Gakpo trick and pipping their arch-rivals to another Dutch talent.
You can see Aouna’s tweet on Gravenberch below, via @Santi_J_FM on Twitter:
❗️Liverpool, Arsenal et Manchester United ont tous manifesté un intérêt pour Ryan Gravenberch. Erik ten Hag et le milieu du Bayern seraient heureux à l'idée de travailler de nouveau ensemble .🚨⤵️🇳🇱 https://t.co/NPcOvJkkH5 pic.twitter.com/oqqGp8UJj6
— Santi Aouna (@Santi_J_FM) April 24, 2023