Liverpool ‘more advanced’ than Man Utd for player with five starts as Klopp gets ‘green light’ | OneFootball

Liverpool are ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, according to reports.

The Reds have already secured the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton as they look to improve their midfield with Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving Anfield this summer.

Jurgen Klopp’s midfielders took a lot of stick for Liverpool’s form over the first two thirds of the Premier League campaign with intensity and energy lacking from their game.

Former Ajax midfielder Gravenberch has been linked along with numerous other midfielders but there seems to be definite interest in the Netherlands international.

CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs said in April that a summer move by Liverpool for Gravenberch – who only five starts in his 32 appearances for Bayern Munich this season – was “unlikely”.

Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “With Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool like his profile and they had a historical interest in him before he joined Bayern. But as I’ve reported before, I’m still told that a summer move is unlikely, because Thomas Tuchel and Bayern still want to give that transfer – which is relatively new, of course – time.

“If Julian Nagelsmann was still at Bayern, I think there’d be a very strong possibility that Gravenberch would go because the manager and the player didn’t always see eye to eye. Nagelsmann got a bit frustrated by Gravenberch’s lack of awareness off the ball and defensive discipline, at times. And one of the first things that Thomas Tuchel did was tell Gravenberch that he’s got a clean slate.

“Bayern’s position is still that they’ve got a player with great talent, a strong profile and a high ceiling at the right age. So they want Gravenberch to be patient and fight his way more regularly into Bayern’s starting XI, which makes it very difficult for Liverpool.”

But transfer expert Fabrizio Romano was warmer on a possible deal in May with the Italian journalist expecting Gravenberch’s future to decided at the end of June.

Romano said on his own YouTube channel: “The current situation of Ryan Gravenberch is one to watch,” the Italian transfer expert spoke on his personal YouTube channel.

“Bayern didn’t want, with the past board, to negotiate with any club for Gravenberch. They told Gravenberch ‘let’s meet at the end of the season in June and discuss the future’ because Liverpool are interested but also other English clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal.

“But Bayern message was very clear – we don’t want to negotiate for Gravenberch, we will meet Gravenberch in June and communicate that he will be an important part of the squad next season.

“Now, what’s happening is there is a new board that will have to make a decision.”

And now the Daily Mirror now claims that Klopp has been given the ‘green light’ to pursue a deal for Gravenberch with Liverpool now ‘pushing to sign’ the 21-year-old.

Gravenberch is ‘open to an exit from the Bundesliga giants’ as ‘Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka blocking his path to the starting line-up’ with the Dutchman potentially falling further down the pecking order with the imminent arrival of Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig.

Despite for Gravenberch, interest from Liverpool is ‘believed to be more advanced – with the club set to back Jurgen Klopp’s wishes of his transfer.’