La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly closely monitoring the situation of 19-year-old Dutch international Ryan Gravenberch at Ajax.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Ryan Gravenberch is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants view the 19-year-old Ajax midfielder as a potential long-term successor for Sergio Busquets.
Ryan Gravenberch has gone from strength to strength since breaking into the Ajax first-team setup as a 16-year-old in September 2018. Now a key figure for club and country, the Dutch international has been adding facets to his game with every passing year.
To date, the 19-year-old has turned out 92 times for Ajax, chipping in with ten goals and 11 assists in the process. But the Dutch giants are poised to lose the player’s services in the summer transfer window, as he will enter the final twelve months of his contract and is unlikely to pen a new deal. Such a situation has captured the attention of Barcelona.
The links with Barcelona stem from the advancing years of Sergio Busquets. The veteran Spanish international has been a stalwart in midfield for Barcelona for the past decade and a half but has shown signs of age catching up with him lately. As a result, the Blaugrana will need to delve into the transfer market for a long-term successor.
While Frenkie de Jong excels at the base of a midfield trifecta, signing another viable option will hold Barcelona in good stead for years to come. To that end, a versatile midfielder like Gravenberch has emerged as a target for Barcelona, with the club viewing him as a long-term successor for Busquets.
As things stand, the Catalan giants are closely monitoring the 19-year-old Dutch international’s situation at Ajax. But Barcelona will need to launch the offensive soon enough, with Bayern Munich recently emerging in the race to sign Gravenberch.
The Ajax prodigy has also been linked with arch-rivals Real Madrid, meaning an all-out transfer battle is on the cards. For now, what appears to be certain is that Gravenberch could be leaving Ajax in the summer transfer window, and it remains to be seen if Barcelona can beat the competition to secure his services.
