Why THIS midfielder could become the €100m star Man Utd DESPERATELY need

Cameron Smith

21 Aug 2023 16:19 BST
5 min read

Erik ten Hag and the Manchester United badge, on a background of a panorama of Old Trafford in red — © ProShots

Manchester United have now made Bayern Munich star Ryan Gravenberch their top transfer target, while Liverpool are also interested in the midfielder.

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FootballTransfers understand that Erik ten Hag’s side are exploring the possibility of signing the Dutchman on loan, with their pursuit of Sofyan Amrabat stalling due to failing to offload Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek.

Sources have informed us that Gravenberch prefers a move to Old Trafford over joining Liverpool as both sides look to bolster their midfield.

The midfielder is seeking a new club in order to maximise his game time ahead of the 2024 European Championships. He was omitted from the Netherlands’ 2022 World Cup squad after barely featuring for Bayern following his move from Ajax and is aiming to be reinstated for the Euros.

As for Liverpool, Gravenberch isn’t the pure defensive midfield profile they need, whereas he may fit in alongside Casemiro at the base of Man Utd’s midfield trio.

Furthermore, Gravenberch has the talent to become a superstar and he is currently being underutilised at Bayern.

The 21-year-old played less than 1,000 minutes of action in all competitions for the Bavarian side last term and made just three Bundesliga starts all year as both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel preferred other options.

Gravenberch’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stood at €73.1 million in March 2022, but it has now dropped to €49.1m. In addition to this, Gravenberch could be a shrewd loan option for Man Utd, similar to Marcel Sabitzer’s short loan spell at Old Trafford last campaign.

Frenkie de Jong was long seen as Ten Hag’s ideal midfield signing, with the club pivoting to Amrabat after being priced out of a move for the former Ajax man.

That same pattern has seemingly occurred again, with the Red Devils moving onto Gravenberch after talks with Fiorentina have stalled. But, Man Utd could be set to land their next midfield star if they can seal a deal for Gravenberch.

Why Gravenberch can be Man Utd’s next €100m midfield superstar

Data analytics experts SciSports believe that Gravenberch has the potential to become a better player than De Jong and any of Man Utd’s current squad for that matter.

The Dutchman has a potential SciSkill rating of 133.2, which exceeds De Jong’s current 117.1 SciSkill rating. Furthermore, it makes Amrabat’s SciSkill level of 92.8 pale in comparison.

Considering he is Bayern’s fourth choice central midfielder, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Gravenberch is available and Man Utd would be securing a world class talent if they can agree a deal.

It comes after Jamie Carragher’s comments that Casemiro was a “panic buy” last summer. and that Man Utd will need to sign another world class midfielder soon if they want to challenge for the Premier League title.

Writing in the Telegraph, Carragher said: “He [Casemiro] was a panic buy when he joined a year ago, bought in the immediate aftermath of the failed pursuit of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona; an ageing, stellar name signed for big money and on a massive salary to appease increasingly disgruntled fans, despite the fact he will need replacing with a similarly massive outlay two years on.

“United are now being strongly linked with players such as Sofyan Amrabat to help Casemiro protect their back line, but they did not challenge Arsenal and Chelsea for [Moises] Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, [Enzo] Fernandez or [Declan] Rice because they felt Casemiro was the same profile of midfielder when they went big for him.

“That demonstrates how unwise they were to pay so much. Real Madrid simply do not allow players of that ilk leave unless they feel they have had the best from them. Given Casemiro has four years left on a reported £300,000-a-week Old Trafford contract, United still have a massive financial commitment on their hands. It has already cost them the chance to buy a younger alternative.”

“For now, the balance is not right with Casemiro alongside Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes is a No 10, not a central midfielder, while Mount needs time to settle at his new club,” he said.

“Every time United toiled in the middle [versus Wolves], the contrast with the youth and vigour Arsenal and Chelsea have secured with their recent midfield purchases became more pronounced.

“It reminded me of seeing Fabinho struggling for Liverpool at the start of last season, a situation briefly fixed when Trent Alexander-Arnold moved alongside him prior to the Brazilian being sold. Although it was only one game, it was a worry for United supporters.

“Now there is a danger United may have an expensive luxury they cannot afford. They will not be title contenders until they find a Rodri, Caicedo or Rice of their own.

“After paying £70 million for someone who could do the job five years ago but will continue to struggle to match his previous high standards, the current market suggests they will need another £100 million for the midfielder to do so for the next five years.”