According to reports, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement to sign midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.
Despite having already signed Dominik Szoboszlai, Alex Mac Allister, and Wataru Endo, Jurgen Klopp is looking to add to his midfield options before the summer transfer market ends in England on Friday evening.
Gravenberch is thought to have been on Liverpool’s radar for some time, and he has been widely linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena this summer.
The 21-year-old joined Bayern from Ajax last summer for an initial €18 million fee, but he struggled to find a regular starting spot under either Julian Nagelsmann or Thomas Tuchel last season.
Gravenberch started just three of his 24 Bundesliga games last season, with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka selected ahead of him in the center of the field.
Ryan Gravenberch has been pushed further down the pecking order by the summer additions of Konrad Laimer and versatile full-back Raphael Guerreiro, who can also play in midfield, and the Dutchman is now willing to leave Bayern in pursuit of regular first-team action.
Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with Gravenberch, but the former appears to have won the race, with The Athletic reporting that Klopp’s side have negotiated a fixed fee of €40 million (£34.2 million) with Bayern to sign the midfielder.
According to the source, the Netherlands international will go to Liverpool on Thursday night before having his medical on transfer deadline day.
According to reports, the transaction was negotiated by the player’s representative Jose Fortes Rodriguez from Raiola, and Gravenberch is set to sign a long-term contract with Liverpool after agreeing on personal terms.
Jorg Schmadtke, Liverpool’s newly recruited sporting director, is also thought to have played a role in the purchase. He previously worked for the German clubs Wolfsburg, Koln, and Hannover.
The Reds have decided to pursue Gravenberch at this late juncture in the transfer season after missing out on priority targets such as Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, both of whom have joined Chelsea.
Gravenberch’s probable departure from the Allianz Arena coincides with Bayern’s persistent pursuit of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Tuchel is thought to be interested on bringing in a new defensive midfielder before the transfer window ends, and a recent report indicates that the Bundesliga giants have made a £50 million bid for the Portugal international.
It remains to be seen whether the expected arrival of Gravenberch will conclude Liverpool’s transfer business this summer, but Klopp may look for a new defender after allowing Nat Phillips to join Celtic on loan and Ibrahima Konate to be sidelined due to injury.
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