Manchester United have been given what appears a clear green light to pursue a deal for Ryan Gravenberch this summer after the player dropped a significant hint at his frustration with life at Bayern Munich.The Red Devils are gearing up for what will likely be their biggest summer of recruitment yet. Having being allowed to spend over £200m during his first summer in charge, Erik ten Hag is now ready to put phase two of his United rebuilding programme in action.And with seven players at least expected to leave as part of a devastating clearout, Ten Hag is looking for at least four top-quality new additions of his own.
His primary objective is, of course, on landing a new striker. And it seems that their interest in Harry Kane is gathering pace with a huge contract offer reportedly being prepped for the England captain.Beyond that, Ten Hag also wants to strengthen his defence. The likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones are all due to make way.And those five exits will free up space for the arrival of a new centre-half with Kim Min-Jae emerging as a top target.
The United manager is also setting his sights on a new right-back, with Jeremie Frimpong strongly tipped to sign.However, sources have told TEAMtalk that PSG’s willingness to sell Achraf Hakimi has put Ten Hag on high alert.Following all that, and if there are any funds left, Ten Hag would also like to sign a new midfielder too.
Frenkie de Jong’s name continues to be mentioned with United, though his apparent £75m asking price looks prohibitive.However, a more realistic option if Bayern Munich’s sparingly-used star Gravenberch.The Dutchman moved to the Allianz Arena last summer in a deal that could fetch £25m with add-ons. However, the former Ajax star has been forced to spend long periods on the bench, seeing just 350 minutes of action in the Bundesliga this season.As a result, it’s little surprise to see him being touted for moves away.Liverpool are among those to have been linked as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his midfield. However, Klopp’s priorioties seemingly lie elsewhere for now.
As such, United were last week linked with a move to reunite Ten Hag with his former Ajax star.Now Voetbal International have spoken with the 20-year-old about those links. And rather than rule out the move completely, he has indicated his willingness to move and his frustration with his lack of minutes at Bayern.“Training and playing at the top level for a year is beautiful and instructive,” he began, before quickly turning.“Although [I say] playing, it is mainly training!”Admitting his annoyance at his situation, he continued: “That has to change next season, then I really want to play weekly again. I haven’t spoken to the club management yet, so just wait and see what happens. But it is clear that this role does not match my expectations.”
“In the beginning, of course, I had to get used to it here. A new environment. Everything goes so much faster, sometimes training sessions just felt like competitions. It’s the European top, you can’t miss a moment. But I feel that getting used to it has been behind me for a while now.”Fee revealed for GravenberchPer recent reports, Bayern are willing to consider the sale of Gravenberch for around €30m (£26.6m) – a slight profit on the fee for which they signed him.Despite his lack of action for Bayern, Gravenberch’s credentials have been talked up by Rafael van der Vaart. Indeed, the player-turned-pundit has even gone as far to say that he is an even better than Jude Bellingham.“It’s my opinion [that Gravenberch is better than Bellingham], but I understand that people disagree. I really think so. Only the choice of club makes the difference,” Van der Vaart stated.
“I think he is much better than Bellingham in his talent. Only Bellingham plays every week and Gravenberch does not have that chance to show it.
“[A move to Dortmund] or Tottenham Hotspur [would have been better]. European sub-top [clubs] sounds so negative, I think. Because I still think those clubs are great. You have to have an intermediate step now and then to really show how good you are.“If you see him walking, upright. He can score, give assists. I think he is much better than he can show at Bayern.”Should United pursue a deal, they could find themselves dealing with Bayern twice this summer with a permanent move for Marcel Sabitzer also in their sights.
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