Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains interested in Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch as he continues to reassemble the Anfield side's midfield.
Are Liverpool signing Ryan Gravenberch this summer?
That's according to German publication SPORTBILD, which claims that the Premier League outfit are considering returning for the Dutchman after registering an interest earlier this year.
While reports differentiate, it is claimed that Liverpool may have to shell out as much as €50m (£43m) to secure the 21-year-old's signature, with the Bavaria giants having signed him from Ajax for €24m (£20m) one year ago.
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The Reds have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, with negotiations for Southampton's defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia also occuring, but could move for another central star to restore the balance.
What position is Ryan Gravenberch?
While Gravenberch will have arrived at the Allianz Arena jubilant and raring to go at one of Europe's pre-eminent outfits, the 2022/23 campaign proved to be anything but fruitful for the midfielder, on a personal level.
Gravenberch made 33 appearances for Bayern across all competitions, winning the Bundesliga title and the German Super Cup, but only started three times in the league, very much enshrouded in obscurity.
It's worth remembering that he is at the early stage of what hints at developing into a fantastic career, and made the leap to one of the most imperious outfits in football, but such a peripheral role will unquestionably leave Gravenberch demanding assurances over his role.
The season prior, 21/22, the ace starred for Ajax as one of the most prodigious starlets the club have seen in recent years, recording an average Sofascore rating of 7.17 in the Eredivisie, completing 86% of his passes, averaging 1.1 key passes per game and 1.6 tackles per outing – former Ajax forward Wim Kieft has even hailed him to be the country's "greatest talent".
An industrious and assured presence on the ball, the 11-cap Dutchman could emulate his compatriot Gini Wijnaldum and earn an untouchable starting berth at Anfield.
Wijnaldum completed a £25m transfer to Liverpool from Newcastle United in 2016, one year on from the indefatigable ace's departure from Dutch side PSV, and would be pivotal to the illustrious success on Merseyside under Klopp's management, even dubbed "irreplaceable" by writer Richard Jolly.
Wijnaldum plied his trade with perfect precision and care, an unwavering middleman between the defensive and final third and a true stalwart for the club, with his energy levels the turbo-charged engine for Klopp's high-octane system – a view shared by former Feyenoord boss, Gertjan Verbeek:
"His work ethic is very high, always working hard, always stable. He's the leader, not only in talking, but how he plays in the game."
And having never dropped a pass success rate in the Premier League for the Reds below 87%, he was the metronome and left Anfield a legend after forging 237 appearances, notably instrumental in winning the Premier League and Champions League.
Big boots to fill, but Gravenberch has demonstrated the rounded scope of his skill set already, ranking among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 24% for progressive passes, the top 18% for successful take-ons and the top 27% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
While the lion's share of the listed metrics are not quite second to none, they illustrate the expansive style of his craft, and just how refined the £151k-per-week conductor could become, if offered a prominent role.
Liverpool might just be able to offer him that.
While he does not waltz into the Merseysiders' starting XI, he boasts the tools to build a successful Premier League career for himself, and the Kop might sing Gravenberch's name in adulation to rival Wijnaldum's in the future – Klopp now needs to get it done.