31 August 2023 , 18:32
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Ryan Gravenberch is due to fly into Merseyside this Thursday evening after Liverpool finally made a breakthrough in their summer-long attempt to sign the Holland star.
The Reds agreed a fee thought to be in the region of £35m, including additional bonus-related payments, for the Bayern Munich midfielder, after a protracted transfer saga where they had three separate approaches for the 21-year-old rejected over the course of the summer window.
If all goes to plan, Gravenberch is due to undergo a medical at a Liverpool medical facility on Friday, before completing a deal, where he is expected to sign a five-year contract.
It signals a major breakthrough for the Anfield club, after a series of misfires in the transfer market, where they lost out to Chelsea in big-money moves for both Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia of Southampton.
But after Bayern themselves agreed what is likely to be a £50m fee with Fulham for the signing of their Portugal international midfielder João Palhinha, who agreed personal terms with the German club on Thursday, it paved the way for a change of heart over the Dutch star.
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Gravenberch only signed for Bayern last summer in a £20m move from Ajax - with Liverpool thought to have also pursued the player back then too.
But he has become increasingly frustrated with life in Munich after making just three Bundesliga starts last season…and just one appearance so far this season, as a substitute in the last match against Augsburg.
Ryan Gravenberch is closing in on a switch to Liverpool ((Photo by Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images))The midfielder made it clear that if he didn’t get more game time he would be forced to consider his position at the club, and that prompted the agreement with Liverpool, after weeks of negotiations.
The Reds have had Gravenberch on the radar since he was a teenager with Ajax, and Klopp is attracted to the versatility of the player, who can operate in a number of positions across the midfield.
Liverpool see him as eventually being able to operate in the pivotal holding midfield role, with his height - at 6ft 3in a major positive in that position.
But they are likely to ease him into a role that demands experience gently after signing the Japan captain Wataru Endo as a holding midfielder, to replace Fabinho and Jordan Henderson who left for the Saudi Pro League this summer.
It brings Klopp’s midfield signings to four this summer after he lost five in that area during a turbulent summer.
It will be a race against time for Gravenberch to complete his medical and contract formalities to be cleared to play in the Premier League match against Aston Villa on Sunday, but Klopp would like him to be available at least for the bench for that Anfield clash.