Liverpool in 'love' with Bayern Munich star who is 'open' to transfer

Liverpool's bosses are 'in love' with Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, who could yet try to force a move from Germany this summer.

The 21-year-old midfielder struggled to get game time under his belt last season after sealing a €23m (£20m) move from Ajax. Gravenberch played just under 950 minutes of first-team football in all competitions in 2022/23, leading to speculation about his long-term future with the German champions.

Liverpool have been linked with Gravenberch throughout the summer, as they continue their much-discussed midfield rebuild.

Speaking to the Born and Red channel on YouTube, transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Jurgen Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke are big fans of Gravenberch, while the player himself is 'open to a move'. Bayern, however, remain reluctant to part ways with the Netherlands international.

He said: "They [Liverpool] love [Ryan] Gravenberch, 100%. It’s about the director [Jorg Schmadtke], it’s about Jurgen Klopp. They really, really like the player and the player is open to the idea of making a move. Ryan Gravenberch wants to speak to Bayern again to clarify his position.

“What I can say is that Bayern are still in the same position in June, July and also now in August. They don’t want to sell the player, they are sure that Ryan Gravenberch is going to be a top star of the position in the future. It’s not an easy conversation with Bayern when they say no."

Romano also opined that the only way Bayern would start negotiations with Liverpool – or any other club – would be if Gravenberch makes it clear to the club's bosses that he wants to leave.

He said: "The only way to make it happen is on the player’s side - if the player goes there and says, ‘OK, sell me because I don’t want to stay here’. At the moment, the player is concerned with the current situation because he wants to be a starter, he wants to be an important player, a regular starter.

"But, he didn’t go there and say, ‘Let me go’. It’s still something that’s in the early stages between Gravenberch and Bayern and at the moment Liverpool can only wait. It makes no sense to submit proposals or start negotiations if Bayern don’t want to sell.”

Liverpool are likely to be active in the final weeks of the transfer window as they look to add to their midfield options.

Aside from Gravenberch, the Reds have made two bids for Southampton's Romeo Lavia, while Fluminese's Andre Trindade is another target. Anfield Watch revealed earlier this week that Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also has admirers at the club.

Interestingly, Bayern Munich have since been linked with a loan move for Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni – another former target for Liverpool – which could also influence's the Reds' transfer direction, either by encouraging the club to restart their pursuit of the France international, or by giving hope over Gravenberch's availability.