Ryan Gravenberch is enthusiastic over the opportunity to steer his development back on track at Anfield, with Liverpool having made a strong pitch to the player’s camp to sign him from Bayern Munich.
The Netherlands international was on a shortlist of options that also featured Aurelien Tchouameni, Enzo Fernandez, Nicolo Barella and the then-unavailable Jude Bellingham for the Premier League club to strengthen their midfield ahead of this season.
Bayern rapidly tied up a deal for Gravenberch from Ajax to beat out Liverpool and other European rivals but he has been afforded just 711 minutes of playing time since that transfer, with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka preferred.
The 20-year-old’s representative, Rafaela Pimenta, explored loan options in January but the Bundesliga club were unwilling to permit a winter exit.
Pimenta met with Liverpool at the turn of the year and last week the club engaged Gravenberch’s father, Ryan senior, who still guides his career.
Erik ten Hag, who promoted the multi-functional midfielder to the first team and extracted the best from him at Ajax, made a check on his availability for Manchester United before loaning Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern instead in January.
Bayern, who are set to add RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer to their ranks this summer, are open to selling Gravenberch and want to recoup the £20m fee – including add-ons – they agreed for him, as well as a small profit.
Ajax are also understood to have a seven-and-a-half per cent sell-on clause.
Liverpool are not the only club to enquire over Gravenberch but, conscious of the competition they will face for targets this summer and the scale of the rebuild that awaits, the club have made a head start on their recruitment objectives.
Gravenberch is one of several midfield options the club are exploring, with at least one defensive signing also expected.
