Pranav Nair
Manchester United and Juventus fight it out for Ryan Gravenberch
According to Italian publication Tuttosport (h/t The Daily Mail), Juventus are set to compete with Manchester United for Ryan Gravenberch.
The 18-year-old came through the ranks at Ajax Amsterdam and has now made a name for himself in the Dutch giants’ first-team. This has seen some of Europe’s biggest clubs sit up and take notice.
The youngster has already made nine appearances for Ajax this season, while providing two assists. This includes three appearances in the Champions League, including the home game against Premier League champions Liverpool.
Both Juventus and Liverpool have raided Ajax in the recent past. The Italians got themselves Matthijs De Ligt in 2019 while we secured Donny van de Beek this summer.
They now look set to go up against each other for Gravenberch. Juventus are hoping that their strong relationship with the player’s agent Mino Raiola will see them trump us.
A player with much potential, Gravenberch recently made the final 20-man shortlist for this year’s Golden Boy award.
Likened to United superstar Paul Pogba, Gravenberch has so far scored an impressive four goals and three assists in just 23 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax.
Hurdles to overcome
Interestingly, Gravenerch and Pogba share the same agent. Unlike Juventus, we have enjoyed a rocky relationship with Raiola of late. We have done business with Raiola in the past.
That combined with the presence of Edwin van der Sar at Ajax may see us have an open line of communication. Whether that is enough to secure the deal is another matter.
Meanwhile, Barcelona too are keen on securing the player’s services. The Catalans have often brought players from Ajax, recently Frenkie De Jong and Sergino Dest.
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United have shown in recent windows that they are ready to splash the cash and bring in talented youth players. Two of our deadline day signings in the summer were that of talented young duo Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo.
Will Gravenberch join their ranks? Only time will tell.
