Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly among the clubs who are showing an interest in Bayern Munich midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch, with the Netherlands international currently facing an uncertain future at the Allianz Arena.
What's the latest on Gravenberch to Tottenham?
As per 90min, the 21-year-old has outlined his intention to leave the Bundesliga giants if he is not offered a greater guarantee of game time ahead of next season, having only joined the Bavarian outfit from Ajax on a £16m deal last summer.
The report suggests while the youngster is said to favour a move to Liverpool if he is to depart over the coming months, the likes of Spurs, West Ham United and Newcastle United are all 'keeping an eye' on any developments relating to the 11-cap gem.
The piece also adds that while those at Anfield have been plotting to secure a loan move for the Amsterdam native, Bayern's preference is said to be a permanent exit – with GOAL previously revealing that a £25m fee has been touted.
Who is Ryan Gravenberch?
That search for increased action for Gravenberch has come after the midfield maestro made just three starts in the German top-flight last season and contributed just one goal and one assist across all fronts, with that something of a fall from grace for a player who previously scored 12 goals and laid on 13 assists in 103 games during his stint at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Such early promise with the Eredivisie side has led ex-Spurs man Rafael Van der Vaart to suggest that the 6 foot 3 ace is actually "better than" new Real Madrid addition, Jude Bellingham in "every way".
While the latter man – who has sealed an £88.5m switch to the Bernabeu – did enjoy a far more impressive season last term after racking up 14 goals and seven assists in 42 games across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund, there are certain metrics where Gravenberch has bettered or mirrored the Englishman of late.
The Dutchman's creative quality is shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 7% among his European peers for shot-creating actions and in the top 12% for progressive passes received, while Bellingham, meanwhile, also ranks in the top 7% for shot-creating actions, albeit while only ranking in the top 13% for progressive passes received.
That would appear to indicate that with a consistent run of games under his belt the Bayern man could potentially emulate or even surpass the former Birmingham City teen, with such an addition potentially set to allow Ange Postecoglou to find an upgrade on Oliver Skipp in the centre of the park.
The Tottenham academy graduate recorded even fewer goal involvements than Gravenberch last season after chipping in just one goal and no assists in 31 games in all competitions, with talkSPORT pundit Perry Groves suggesting that both the 22-year-old and Pierre-Emile Hojberg "don't do anything" as a midfield combination.
The former Norwich City loanee has notably averaged just 2.22 tackles and one interception per 90 across the last 365 days, while Gravenberch, by contrast, has offered a superior ball-winning threat after averaging 2.49 and 1.30 for those same two metrics, respectively.
Equally, the latter man appears to possess a greater knack for driving forward from deep and for beating his man as he ranks in the top 19% for successful take-ons, while Skipp ranks in just the bottom 41% in that regard.
That would appear to indicate that the signing of Gravenberch – who can operate in a deep-lying role or more advanced midfield berth – could be a dream upgrade for Postecoglou.