Liverpool have stepped up their interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, according to Jonathan Northcroft of The Sunday Times.
The engine room at Anfield has come under scrutiny this season in what has been an unconvincing campaign from Jurgen Klopp's side. With James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set for an exit at the end of their contracts plus the age of other options in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, an upheaval in the middle of the pitch is in the works.
Liverpool cooled the pursuit of 19-year-old Jude Bellingham this week as they ended their long-term interest in the Borussia Dortmund star. As a result, the strategy from chiefs in L4 is to spread the outlay of their transfer funds on several signings as opposed to committing the majority on one arrival.
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The England international has been priced in the region of £130m - which would make him the most expensive British player in history. On Saturday, The Times reported that the Reds have stepped up their interest in the 20-year-old Gravenberch instead.
Should they snap up the Dutchman, it would see his one-year stint in the Bundesliga come to an end after Bayern won the race last summer to prize him away from Holland giants, Ajax. It has been claimed that a representative of the club was in Gravenberch's native country this week for talks with his father - who oversees the player's career.
After his £21m move to the Allianz Arena, he has found playing opportunities hard to come by after failing to usurp Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich from the Bavarians midfield. As a result, questions over his future have arisen which has made him feature "prominently" on Liverpool's list of targets.
It has been reported that Thomas Tuchel's side could pocket just £4m profit with the projected price-tag standing at £25m. Gravenberch could be seen as an alternative to Bellingham after being likened to Frank Rijkaard with the ability to play as a number six, 10 and eight.
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