Liverpool close on Bellingham alternative after agent 'spotted at Anfield'

Stuart Telford

• 15 Apr 2023 14:39 BST
• 3 min read

Liverpool may have pulled out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham with the England midfielder blowing too big a hole in their budget, but Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch looks to be a fitting alternative.

Bellingham had been Liverpool top transfer target since last summer, with Jurgen Klopp identifying the Borussia Dortmund youngster as the man to revolutionise his midfield.

But Bellingham's progress has been quicker than expected, and now, as one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's England teamsheet, he has attracted the interest of Real Madrid and both Manchester clubs.

READ: Man Utd legend Scholes predicts Bellingham's next transfer

Dortmund reportedly want as much as €160 million for their player - a figure Liverpool have baulked at.

"Ask a five-year-old at Christmas, 'What do you want for Christmas?' and they tell you, 'I want to have a Ferrari', you wouldn't say, 'That's a good idea'; you would say, 'No, it's too expensive' and, anyway, you cannot drive it," Jurgen Klopp said.

Gravenberch's appeal

Gravenberch would likely cost a fraction of Bellingham's fee having spent most of this season on Bayern's bench following his €18.5m arrival from Ajax last summer. He looked poised for a move to Anfield in the winter transfer window.

READ: Man Utd or Liverpool: Where next for Ryan Gravenberch

"He was originally linked with a move to Merseyside back in January after the player's agent was spotted at Anfield, although nothing came to fruition, with the player still part of Bayern's plans," write Sport Bible.

But Gravenberch remains on the fringes at Bayern, with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka preferred in central midfield, first by Julian Nagelsmann and now Thomas Tuchel.

Gravenberch is currently flying under the radar, but this is a player who averaged two tackles, six progressive passes and four shot-creating actions in his final year with Ajax, and was regarded as one of the hottest properties in the game before his Bayern transfer.

Still only 20 himself, Gravenberch might grow into the player he looked like becoming in the Netherlands under Klopp, and if he makes good on his talent, Bellingham could prove a good €100m saved.