Bayern ahead of Madrid and Barca: Ranking the contenders to sign Gravenberch

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 7 min read

Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has confirmed that contract negotiations with the club have stopped and that he will now likely leave the club this summer.

The 19-year-old prospect has been plying his trade in the Eredivisie for a number of years now and already looks more than prepared to make the next step up.

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However, due to his contract at Ajax expiring in 2023, the Dutch giants will be more than keen to cash in on the midfielder before the start of next season and before he starts to lose value. And the player seems to be of a similar opinion.

"The contract negotiations with Ajax have now stopped. I just have one more year of contract now and that's it, really,” said the midfielder in an interview with Dutch broadcasters NOS. “We'll see. I just want to focus on football. My father and my agent are very busy with the rest"

At this moment in time, Gravenberch is worth around €73 million - so which of Europe’s biggest clubs are going to sign him?

5. Liverpool

Liverpool are no strangers to digging out a bargain in the transfer market and as such the Anfield giants have been heavily linked with a move for Gravenberch for quite some time.

There’s no doubt that Jurgen Klopp could use another central midfielder following the departure of Gini Wijnaldum last summer, but reports linking the player with a move to Liverpool dried up around January and haven’t been as frequent since the club spent a huge amount of money on Luis Diaz.

4. Barcelona

Barcelona have been keeping tabs on Gravenberch since he was a youth player at Ajax and if the midfielder is for sale this summer then it would be foolish to entirely rule the Catalan giants out of the race.

There’s no doubt that Xavi could use another star in midfield next season and Gravenberch would certainly fit the bill, but the prospect of Barca forking over the best part of €70m for any single player this summer remains highly unlikely.

Instead, the Spanish giants may simply hope to hold out until next year and sign Gravenberch for free.

3. Real Madrid

Like Barca, Real Madrid will probably be in need of midfield reinforcements this summer, but it will depend on how much money the Spanish giants are prepared to pay for top talent this year.

As the world now knows, Kylian Mbappe is expected to make the move to Los Blancos this summer, but the striker's sign-on fee will still likely blow a huge hole in Madrid’s budget. Gravenberch was linked with a move to Madrid by German magazine Kicker just a few days ago, so it seems as though there’s a strong chance of it happening. But it will depend on whether the Ajax star fits within Madrid’s budget.

2. Manchester United

While Manchester United aren’t exactly on top at the moment, the Old Trafford side still bolster a bank balance and transfer budget that can blow even the biggest clubs in the world out of the water.

Indeed, the Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Gravenberch for much of the season and while a move to Manchester may not seem as appealing as one to Madrid or Munich on paper, Man Utd could push themselves to the front of the queue if they’re serious about bidding for the Dutch talent.

1. Bayern Munich

In early March, Dutch sports journalist Mike Verweij confirmed that Gravenberch’s desire to leave Ajax would be based on the player being sold on a “great plan” and as such Bayern Munich are currently leading the race for the young midfielder.

As well as that, Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn also confirmed this month that he did meet the player’s agent Mino Raiola to discuss the possibility of signing Gravenberch this summer.

The player himself recently admitted that he often picks the German giants when playing FIFA and then a few days later admitted that Bayern were interested in signing him this summer.

"Yeah, of course," said the midfielder when asked if Bayern are trying to sign him. "You can read it everywhere, so there is interest from Bayern, but I think there are several clubs."

Unlike some of Bayern’s main competitors for the player, the Bundesliga giants are in desperate need of another central midfielder and would be prepared to make a move for the player if he was interested in taking the next step in his career in Germany.