Blow to Barca and Madrid as Ten Hag talks up Gravenberch to Bayern transfer

Robin Bairner

• 1 Apr 2022 15:59 BST
• 3 min read

Ryan Gravenberch’s future increasingly seems to lie with Bayern Munich, as Ajax boss Erik ten Hag supported the possibility of the Netherlands midfielder making a transfer to the Bundesliga side.

Gravenberch is a player who has been on the radar of all of Europe’s top clubs over recent months. While interest from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool appears to have faded a little in recent times, Barcelona and Real Madrid have retained a strong link with the 19-year-old.

Bayern Munich, though, have come to the fore in transfer negotiations over the course of the last week and Ten Hag has done little to quell the rumours that a deal is close to being done.

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When asked if a transfer to Bayern would be a good move for Gravenberch, he told Sport1: “Definitely! It would be a tough job for him because there’s a lot of competition at Bayern. But he’s also the kind of guy who needs challenges.

“He can certainly adapt to such a high level of quality as Bayern. You saw that in the Champions League, too, because that’s where he’s played his best games. We still have to hope that he will stay with us for another season.”

What type of player is Ryan Gravenberch?

He was asked to describe Gravenberch’s playing style for Bayern fans, Ten Hag raved about the teenager.

“Ryan is a very young player, but he has already gained a lot of experience,” he said. “He has already played over 100 games in the Eredivisie, has played in the Champions League and has been called up for the national team. Despite his young age, he has already experienced a lot and, above all, won titles.

“He's very important for our team because he's a box-to-box player. He makes runs from deep, dribbles well, has great passing accuracy and takes part in the build-up of the game. Due to his athleticism and physique, he is also strong in the transition game and can also win the ball. He's come a long way but can still learn a lot.”

Bayern’s gain of Gravenberch, then, is set to be a loss for both Barcelona and Real Madrid.