Ryan Gravenberch was on Liverpool's shortlist of midfielders last summer but joined Bayern Munich from Ajax for £20m; Man Utd still keen on midfielder; Bayern still trying to sign Fulham's Joao Palhinha and want to source a replacement before sanctioning Gravenberch's departure
Thursday 31 August 2023 19:13, UK
Ryan Gravenberch was not involved in training on Thursday and is hoping to get the green light over an exit from Bayern Munich as Liverpool push for his signature.
The clubs remain in talks over the fee and structure of a potential deal.
Bayern, who are still trying to sign Fulham's Joao Palhinha and want to source a replacement before sanctioning Gravenberch's departure, are understood to be seeking between £30-35m.
They want to recoup the £20m fee inclusive of add-ons they spent on recruiting the midfielder from Ajax, plus make a profit.
Ajax are understood to have a 7.5 per cent sell-on clause.
While Liverpool are in the driving seat, Sky Sports News has been told that Manchester United have not ended their interest in Gravenberch.
The club are currently trying to reach an agreement with Fiorentina for Sofyan Amrabat.
United, conscious of complying with Financial Fair Play regulations, want a loan deal while the Serie A side prefer a permanent transfer.
If there are complications in negotiations and talks drag, attention could switch to Gravenberch should Liverpool not be able to complete a deal swiftly.
The player is desperate for the opportunity to steer his development back on track after being starved of minutes in Munich.
As revealed by Sky Sports News last summer, Liverpool's interest in Gravenberch is long standing. He was on a shortlist of three options before opting to move to Bayern from Ajax.
Meetings with the player's representative, Jose Fortes Rodrigues from Raiola, have been regular since last year.
Gravenberch has been part of Liverpool's thinking all summer, but the club had other priorities and Bayern had not initially been open to a sale.
Once the Merseysiders lost out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea, they resumed trying to make a deal for Gravenberch work.
Erik ten Hag, who promoted the multi-functional midfielder to the first team and extracted the best from him at Ajax, has been trying to sign him since the winter window.
United made a check on Gravenberch's availability in January, but were blocked by Bayern, and ended up loaning Marcel Sabitzer instead.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich still trying to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Palhinha, who Fulham value at up to £80m, wants the move.
He has four years left on his contract plus option of another 12 months.
Palinha, who scored a late equaliser in Saturday's draw at Arsenal, signed from Sporting last summer for £20m.
Who will be on the move in the final days of the transfer window before it closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
