Manchester United are approaching crunch time with the summer transfer window just over one week away from swinging shut, and Erik ten Hag appears to be prioritising the midfield.
What's the latest on Ryan Gravenberch to Manchester United?
According to Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst, the Red Devils are considering making a late swoop for Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax.
TEAMtalk also claim that United are prioritising a move for Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat above all else, but that Gravenberch is very much on their radar, with the Bundesliga champions willing to grant his departure for €35m (£29m).
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The Red Devils have already signed Mason Mount to the midfield this summer for £55m, but with Fred's departure to Fenerbahce, the door is opening for another ace to enter the fold and cement a starring role.
How good is Ryan Gravenberch?
Gravenberch moved to Munich one year ago from Ajax for a fee rising to €24m (£20m) having been hailed as "indispensable" for his prestigious former Eredivisie outfit by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
During his time in his homeland, the "outstanding" – as praised by former Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić – Gravenberch made 103 appearances for Ajax, scoring 12 goals and supplying 13 assists, earning acclaim as a truly prodigious talent and important in winning three league titles and two KNVB Cups.
This could hardly be more different than the 11-cap Netherlands international's time at the Allianz Arena, having started just three matches in the Bundesliga last term, also spending the first two matches of the 2023/24 campaign as an unused substitute.
Despite sitting on the fringe of the Die Roten ranks, the "dominant" £152k-per-week machine – as once hailed by his former youth coach Brian Tevreden – ranks among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for progressive passes, the top 18% for successful take-ons and the top 17% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
Given that Jude Bellingham is listed as a comparable player – via FBref's statistical model – to the Bayern machine, Ten Hag could unlock a sensational new engine by nurturing his old starlet to prominence at Old Trafford.
Bellingham completed a €103m (£88.5m) move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund this summer and is recognised as one of football's most immense talents of the modern age, having been hailed as a "generational talent" by reporter Raphael Honigstein.
He has posted three goals and one assist across his first two matches in LaLiga, and now ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive passes and progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90.
As evidenced, both Bellingham and Gravenberch are creative and technical players, and while the Los Blancos star's metrics dwarf Gravenberch's across many facets, it's important to remember that the Dutchman has been playing a peripheral role and has not been able to exhibit his skill set to its full capacity.
Having been praised as a "monster who's extremely comfortable on the ball" by Born 'n Red contributor Asim, Gravenberch could be the solution to Ten Hag's quandary as he looks to fortify Manchester United's centre and chart a source towards success, and given the affordable fee, it's a move which surely must be made.