Chelsea and Liverpool have reportedly joined Barcelona in the race to sign Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Transfer Market Web, the race to sign Ryan Gravenberch is starting to heat up. Barcelona are now facing intense competition from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, AS Roma and Juventus for the 18-year-old Dutch prodigy.
Gravenberch joined the fabled Ajax academy aged 8 in 2010 and made swift progress within the youth setup at the Dutch club before making grade in the first-team squad early in the 2018/19 season. Upon making his bow, the prodigious Dutch midfielder became the youngest ever Ajax player to play in the Eredivisie.
Since then, he has progressed leaps and bounds and is enjoying a breakthrough campaign this term after having made 38 appearances across all competitions, with 4 goals and 6 assists to show for his efforts. Having secured his status as the next big thing at Ajax, it is not hard to see why clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool, among others, are hot in pursuit of the 18-year-old.
Barcelona are keen on bolstering their midfield unit for a second successive summer, despite signing Miralem Pjanic from Juventus last year. However, with Pjanic on the wrong side of 30 and Sergio Busquets in the twilight of his career, it is not hard to see why the need for a midfielder has arisen.
To that end, Liverpool star Georginio Wijnaldum has long been rumoured to be Barcelona’s priority target for the summer, although it has been suggested in recent weeks that a move might not be set in stone. With that in mind, the Catalans are having to scour for alternatives, making Gravenberch a viable target. As for Chelsea, their interest is more straightforward.
Jorginho continues to face an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with a return to Italy being constantly mooted. As a result, it is prudent for Chelsea to identify possible summer options to reinforce their central midfield options, with Gabriel Menino being one of their targets. However, Gravenberch, too, is an option worth considering.
Finally, Liverpool are looking for a replacement for Wijnaldum, who, as iterated already, has been linked with Barcelona and is likely to depart as a free agent come summer. With Naby Keita also facing an uncertain future at the club, the Reds do need to keep their options open, with Dutch international Teun Koopmeiners emerging as a target recently. Gravenberch, though, is a viable target as well.
Apart from Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool, AS Roma and Juventus are also keen on signing the 18-year-old Ajax prodigy. With the race to sign the 18-year-old intensifying, it will be interesting to see which way the pendulum swings as the summer transfer window approaches.