Liverpool are interested in signing Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch this summer as Jurgen Klopp continues to reassemble his midfield after a testing and unsuccessful season.
What's the latest on Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool?
That's according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who claims that Liverpool "really, really like" Gravenberch, who is "open to the idea" of transferring to the Anfield side.
The Dutchman only joined the German Bundesliga champions from Ajax for a deal rising to £20m one year ago, but could already be on the move after playing second fiddle to his positional peers last term.
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Should Klopp wish to secure Gravenberch's signature, he would likely have to pay £25m, according to some reports, though given the current state of affairs on the transfer market, this could prove to be a shrewd piece of business.
How good is Ryan Gravenberch?
It hasn't quite gone to plan for Gravenberch since departing his homeland a prodigy and expecting to wedge his way into a prominent role with Die Roten.
The 21-year-old only started three times in the Bundesliga and twice in the Champions League, and while he is still young and would not have expected to have started every match for such an imperious outfit thronged with world-class talent, his lack of match action has left the road to Liverpool looking a tantalising proposition.
The 11-cap Netherlands international demonstrated his ability with Ajax, the season prior, recording an average Sofascore rating of 7.17 in the Eredivisie, scoring two goals and supplying five assists from 30 matches, averaging 1.1 key passes per game and completing 86% of his total passes, making 1.6 tackles per match and succeeding with 68% of his dribbles.
And as per FBref, despite his peripheral role at the Allianz Arena, Gravenberch ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 18% for progressive passes, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 24% for tackles per 90.
While such metrics are not remarkable, they illustrate his expansive skill set and highlight just how much of a refined midfielder he could grow into as he ages and finds his feet on the major stage; Liverpool will be looking to take advantage of this and build Gravenberch into the player that former Ajax forward Wim Kieft knows he can become, having hailed him his nation's "greatest talent."
FBref also lists Reds target Khephren Thuram as a comparable player to Gravenberch, and Klopp if it does boil down to choosing between the pair to complete Liverpool's midfield – after a deal for Southampton's defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia has been concluded, as is the desire – then the Liverpool boss might be wise to push for the Dutchman.
Indeed, OGC Nice's Thuram has impressed in his homeland, with the 22-year-old having scored two goals and supplied eight assists from 48 matches across all competitions last season, hailed as a "monster" by writer Sam McGuire.
The Les Aiglons talent ranks among the top 24% of positional peers for assists, the top 5% for progressive carries, the top 9% for successful take-ons and the top 27% for interceptions per 90, and while he is a top-class ball-carrier, Gravenberch arguably boasts the more rounded arsenal to complement Liverpool's system.
Indeed, Gravenberch could become a "dominant" phenom – as he has been hailed by former youth coach Brian Tevreden (who also compared him to a prime Paul Pogba) – on English soil in the future, and with Klopp looking to craft a new-look midfield to charge the engine for years to come, the Bayern starlet is the man to sign.