Ryan Gravenberch coy on future amid Liverpool, Manchester United links

Ryan Gravenberch is coy on his future as a move to the Premier League could materialise, with Manchester United and Liverpool keen.

Ryan Gravenberch wants to play regularly and have a meaningful time at the club he features at. So far, that has not happened at Bayern Munich, although Thomas Tuchel continues to stress his importance to the team.

Signed last season from Ajax with plenty of promise, the midfielder has not featured as much as he would have liked. Moreover, the speculation had been rife since the summer window opened, with Liverpool keen on the Dutchman.

Liverpool did look like favourites to sign him if they went for him. But things have been complicated at Merseyside. They still need a new midfielder to add quality depth, but Jurgen Klopp will likely make a late decision.

If Liverpool want Gravenberch, then they must act fast, as Manchester United are also lurking around for him. Much like Anfield, Old Trafford also has its share of problems, with suggestions pointing towards a lack of funds.

While Erik ten Hag had wanted a midfielder, the injury to Luke Shaw may have put Manchester United in the hunt for a new left-back. Marc Cucurella is an option alongside several others, which calls into question the acquisition of a midfielder.

As for Gravenberch, he remains coy on links with a move away from Bayern Munich. Fabrizio Romano’s tweet indicated that maybe the midfielder was waiting on sizeable approaches, which may not have arrived yet. Gravenberch said, “I don‘t know what will happen in the next few days”.

Romano’s tweet also insisted Manchester United and Liverpool have asked Bayern to keep them informed on their stance regarding Gravenberch. There are many possibilities on the final day of the transfer window.

The two Premier League giants could make a late dash to sign a midfielder, possibly Gravenberch. The Liverpool and Manchester United target is eager to play an essential role at his club. A move might fit the bill if he cannot get guarantees from Tuchel.

As it is the end of the window, and Gravenberch has a long contract, Bayern may take a similar approach to how they handled the Marcel Sabitzer situation. The Austrian moved to Manchester United last January on loan, and the Dutchman could become the subject of a similar deal.

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Liverpool has entered the early stages of a new Premier League rival, but Jürgen Klopp and the Reds have asserted themselves by landing some early blows.

While Liverpool’s players lost their heads early on against Newcastle United on Sunday, manager Jürgen Klopp kept his throughout.

After Trent Alexander-Arnold nearly got himself sent off for a second yellow inside 10 minutes when he barged Anthony Gordon over, Klopp sent Joe Gomez to warm up, preparing in case he needed to make a change.

As it turned, Gomez was required, but only after fellow center-back Virgil van Dijk saw red for bringing down Alexander Isak as he tried to race through on goal.

With Luis Díaz sacrificed, Klopp assembled a defensive structure that Newcastle struggled to penetrate, even with its numerical superiority. While Miguel Almirón hit the post after an excellent run, Liverpool didn’t give up any ‘big chances’ with 10 men.

It was a bold call to take off defensive midfielder Wataru Endō given that the Reds were looking fairly resolute, but his replacement Harvey Elliott impressed, while Diogo Jota, on for Cody Gakpo, injected danger into Liverpool’s attacking play with a clean touch and smart decision-making.

For all its discipline, the visitor was still trailing, but Klopp picked the perfect to adopt the more offensive set-up that was required. Striker Darwin Núñez replaced midfielder Alexis Mac Allister with 15 minutes remaining, and he devastatingly buried the two chances that came his way.

Klopp had managed the game perfectly, not only orchestrating one of the great comebacks of his storied Liverpool tenure, but also making a piece of Premier League history. He’s now triumphed in 11 consecutive matches against opposite number Eddie Howe across his stints at Bournemouth and Newcastle, the longest such winning streak in the competition’s history (via Opta Joe). Not since the Cherries came from 3-1 down to beat the Reds 4-3 in December 2016 has Howe been able to defeat Klopp.

That won’t last forever — the Reds boss admitted before the game that there had been a degree of luck at play, and Howe’s teams are now on a different level entirely (via Liverpool’s official website) — but it’s nonetheless an impressive run.

Liverpool was one of only two teams, along with Arsenal, to win at St James’ Park last season, with the Magpies unbeaten in their other 21 games on home soil across all competitions.

Chelsea and Manchester United both lost on Tyneside, Spurs was ravaged 6-1 and even the treble-winning Manchester City couldn’t come away with three points. But by climbing back-to-back wins on the Toon’s turf, Liverpool has struck a couple of early blows in its newest rivals.

Make no mistake — Newcastle is here to stay. Even if it found life difficult against 10 men, the manner in which it dominated when it was 11 against 11 will be a source of encouragement for Howe and suggests that it will be up there against this season.

It won’t be long before we’re talking about a top seven, because Newcastle differs from the other sides that have threatened to muscle their way onto the top table. Leicester City achieved back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2020 and 2021, but was relegated within two years, while West Ham followed up a sixth and seventh by tumbling down to 14th.

Brighton is also viewed as a potential disruptor, but Newcastle is the only one of these teams that managed to crack the top four, and can compete with the Premier League elite in terms of resources. In the five transfer windows since the takeover led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, its net spend stands at more than $432m (£343m/€400m).

All of this means intense battles with Liverpool in the coming years are inevitable, but the Reds have been able to assert their superiority in the head-to-head match-ups, even if Newcastle won out in last year’s top-four race.

The hope will be that the succession of victories against Newcastle sets the tone, and dents the Magpies’ belief, particularly as Klopp looks to have the measure of his new competitor.