OFFICIAL: Ryan Gravenberch joins Liverpool from Bayern Munich in permanent deal
Liverpool have announced the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich on the deadline day of the summer transfer window on Friday (September 1).
According to the Athletic, the Reds will pay the Bavarian giants around €40 million, and the player has penned a five-year deal at Anfield. He had joined Bayern Munich last summer from Ajax for €18.5 million but struggled for game time.
The Netherlands international played less than 1,000 minutes of first-team football across competitions since leaving the Dutch club. He now joins Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister as the Reds' fourth midfield signing this summer.
Gravenberch also had time to fulfil his media duties ahead of being announced as their latest signing. The club's website published his first words as a Liverpool player:
"I’m very happy. Very happy that the deal is done, and I’m finally here. If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Also the fans, the stadium, I think everything from the outside is top. So that’s why (it was the right club)."
Gravenberch, 21, leaves Bayern after registering one goal and an assist in 34 games across competitions. The 11-cap Netherlands U21 international also won the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup during his time in Germany.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool now have more goal threat in midfield
Jurgen Klopp conducted his pre-match press conference on September 1 just a few hours before Ryan Gravenberch was unveiled as a Liverpool player.
Before the league game against Aston Villa on Sunday (September 3), the German tactician said that the dynamics and skillset of his midfield has changed with Gravenberch's arrival (via Liverpoolfc.com):
"The natural skillset I think is obvious. But we had to replace and to change the most successful midfield in the young history of this club. Fabinho, Henderson, Milner, Gini Wijnaldum now a few years ago, all had big, big parts in that team.
"In our best periods, I remember here you asked me the question if we are enough of a goal threat from this midfield, when we scored all the goals from the front line. I think we have much more goal threat in midfield now, that's definitely the case."
The Reds have signed four midfielders this summer after revamping their midfield to a huge extent. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho's surprise transfer to the Saudi Pro League was preceded by Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner's exits on free transfers.
Apart from Wataru Endo, Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, Klopp has Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic to choose from in midfield.