The major talking points at Bayern Munich in the final ten days of the transfer window will be the futures of Benjamin Pavard and Ryan Gravenberch. Die Roten has agreed a fee with Inter Milan for the departure of Pavard, but they need a replacement before sanctioning the sale. Meanwhile, Gravenberch is subject to interest from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Thomas Tuchel is apparently not against the departure of Gravenberch. According to The Athletic, Tuchel will be open to sanctioning the Dutch midfielder’s permanent departure, provided the sale funds are used to sign a holding midfielder. Meanwhile, Bayern wants to keep Gravenberch at least until January. The club chiefs believe there is no need to sign a holding midfielder after the arrival of Konrad Laimer on a free transfer.
Gravenberch has endured a difficult time in Munich since leaving Ajax last summer. The Dutch midfielder struggled to get adequate playing time in his debut season with Die Roten. The 21-year-old central midfielder was not included in the Dutch team for World Cup 2022 due to next to no playing time In Hinrunde last season.
Things marginally improved for Gravenberch under Thomas Tuchel in the final two months of the season. However, the new campaign has not started on a good note for the young midfielder. He was an unused substitute for Bayern against Werder Bremen on Friday.
Gravenberch is not eager to spend another season on the bench. The Dutch international was expected to get clarity over his future earlier in the summer after U-21 Euros. However, he went on the pre-season tour with Die Roten and featured in every friendly game in Asia.
The Dutch midfielder will look to push for a transfer in the final days of the window to be in contention for the national team in Euro 2024. Liverpool was heavily linked with Gravenberch at the end of last season. The Dutch midfielder reportedly held talks with the Merseyside club, but interest never materialised into concrete bid.
Liverpool has added young midfielders to the squad this season, so Gravenberch will have to fight for game time at Anfield with other new arrivals. Meanwhile, the competition at Manchester United will be stiff. However, Gravenberch will get a chance to reunite with Erik Ten Hag. The Dutch coach played a crucial role in Gravenberch’s development at Ajax.
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Bayern will definitely assess options for Gravenberch if offers from Premier League arrive in the next ten days. Thomas Tuchel has been pushing for a holding midfielder throughout the summer. It remains to be seen if Die Roten will have enough time to replace Gravenberch with a quality holding midfielder.