Liverpool might be about to shift into overdrive as the transfer deadline draws nearer. The Reds have Ryan Gravenberch on their radar, and Jürgen Klopp’s team is open to a deal at the appropriate price.
Because he is not a holding midfielder or a center-back, which are more obvious priorities, Gravenberch may not be an obvious target. He’s a very talented player who has been on the Reds’ radar for a while, though, so that’s what he is.
In fact, exactly three years ago, as Jürgen Klopp’s team prepared to play in the Champions League once more, there was one Ajax midfielder making his debut in the tournament who was just a cut above the rest.
When Covid was still around in 2020, Liverpool possessed one of the best midfields in the game and had just won the Premier League. During that 2020–21 Champions League season, a trip to Amsterdam would be the first matchup scheduled, and Klopp fielded a potent starting lineup that evening.
An 18-year-old Gravenberch, though, who was not only making his first appearance in the Champions League group stages but also his first start, made his impression on that game.
The young Dutch youth international had a reputation to live up to as a tall and vivacious adolescent who had made the Ajax first squad the season before and had already had a successful start to the season. And he unquestionably did that evening.
Wyscout noted that he distinguished himself for his defensive performance, winning five of nine duels, producing four interceptions, and recovering seven fumbles. His performance, which involved a lot of running around in the middle of the field, reminded one of a typical midfielder under Klopp, and it seemed to have made an impression on Liverpool’s coaching staff ever since.
According to BILD, Gravenberch is valued at $33 million (£26 million/€30 million), therefore if Liverpool can sign him from Bayern Munich for that sum a year after he left the Netherlands to join the German powerhouse, he would be a complete steal.
