Krishnan Sreekumar
Transfer News: Barcelona set to enter race for Manchester United target Ryan Gravenberch
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Express), Barcelona are looking to swoop in for Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Ryan Gravenberch in the summer, posing a threat to Manchester United and their plans to bolster their squad at the end of the season.
United’s weak midfield has been a problem for quite a few years now, and the club has still been unable to replace yesteryear stars in Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes for an effective midfield general. Fred, Scott McTominay, and Nemanja Matic are options available in the squad, but there are doubts about the quality of these stars to take the side to the next level.
With this in mind, the Red Devils had their eyes on Gravenberch as a potential midfield option, but it now looks like Barcelona may provide them serious competition in signing the Ajax star ahead of the new term.
The Catalan giants are not the only ones in line for the teenager, as they join Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich in battling it out with United in the summer for prising the player away from the Netherlands.
Xavi retains Koeman interest
It is said that current Barca manager Xavi Hernandez has continued the club’s interest in the 19-year-old, despite his predecessor Ronald Koeman first displaying a liking to the midfielder during his time in Catalonia.
With only 14 months left on Gravenberch’s current deal with Ajax, several European clubs are on high alert about the Dutchman’s availability in the summer. United are desperate for a midfield addition and will need to beat out many top clubs in the race to sign the player.
The Netherlands international has played at Ajax all his life, so it may be difficult to convince the player to leave his boyhood club to play for another team. United could offer Gravenberch a step up in his career and could help him blossom into a fine midfield star for the future.
The Dutchman has already shown potential to be a top midfielder in his fledgling career, and with the Red Devils set for a mini-rebuild in the summer with potential new signings and a new permanent manager, an exciting prospect awaits the player in Manchester.
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What the Old Trafford side needs at the moment is not a future star, but an experienced player who can fire them to glory next season and win trophies. Gravenberch in that sense may be one for the future, rather than prove to be the immediate answer to United’s midfield problems.
Despite that, the club would do well to snap up the teenager and develop him to be an even better player than he already is, in an effort to mould him into the midfield general in a few years and fill the gaps in the middle of the park for the club.
