With the transfer deadline looming, Liverpool are in a race against time to conclude their final deals of a hectic window. A few hours after Tuesday’s Journo Insight show with Neil Jones, a tweet from the Athletic’s David Ornstein showed that Neil was right to be optimistic about the chances of Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch joining the Reds.
Ornstein confirmed the two clubs were in negotiations over a permanent transfer for the Dutchman. Fulham’s João Palhinha is believed to be travelling to Germany today to discuss a late-window switch, making Gravenberch’s exit all the more likely.
The 21-year-old fits the profile of a more multifunctional midfielder, backing up James Pearce’s story that the club are no longer targeting a specialist number six following the arrival of Wataru Endō.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we asked Neil for an update on the Gravenberch move.
All You Need To Know About Confirmed Liverpool Transfer Target Ryan Gravenberch! | The Deep Dive
Neil said:
“Liverpool hadn’t had a lot of encouragement from Bayern that they were willing to get involved in a negotiation over Gravenberch. They were keen to keep him – that’s changed.
“They’re looking to bring in a big-money midfielder and that means Gravenberch’s prospects are even less promising than they have been.
“There’s a real chance now for Liverpool to get this deal done. There’s now a will from pretty much all parts for something to get done.
“The top-end fee would probably be less than £40 million. It doesn’t feel like that’s a huge problem for Liverpool. It doesn’t feel like it’s completely out of their hitting zone. It does feel like a deal that’s got a pretty good chance of getting done.
“His potential is very, very high. You look at the attributes that he’s got. He carries the ball, he’s got a lovely first touch. He can go past players. He reminds me a bit of Curtis Jones in that respect, but he’s probably got a bit more range in his passing.
“He’s another player who can run. He’s another player who’s strong enough to cope in one-on-one duels. He’s got good size about him.
“I’ve been quite positive about Gravenberch, even early in summer. I just think it’s a deal that makes a lot of sense for Liverpool, I really do. Hopefully, it gets done.”
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There is a lot to be optimistic about if the Reds can agree on a deal for Ryan Gravenberch. He is a player with a great pedigree who was amongst the most coveted in Europe not so long ago. He is still very young at 21 and will have a great opportunity to fulfil his potential at Liverpool. If Gravenberch does arrive, the club will be blessed with a great cohort of midfielders under the age of 25 who can grow and gel together over the remainder of Jürgen Klopp’s tenure. Questions have been asked as to why Bayern would sanction the signing of such a promising player. This does not necessarily mean his attitude should be in doubt. Phillipe Coutinho arrived in 2013 having been starved of game time at Inter – he was instrumental in LFC’s 13/14 title challenge and its resurgence under Jürgen. Sometimes players just do not fit in at certain clubs and go on to shine in different colours. Hopefully, we will be seeing Ryan Gravenberch in the famous red of Liverpool very soon.
