Liverpool dealt blow in pursuit of £16m star as European giants are ‘unwilling’ to sanction exit

Liverpool are still in the market for another midfielder this summer, but they have been handed a fresh blow in pursuit of a long-term target.

Jurgen Klopp is desperate to get Liverpool back into the Champions League this season and he will be keen to add some more midfield reinforcements to his squad.

The Reds recently completed a deal for Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo having missed out on the likes of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo.

Endo had a fine campaign with Stuttgart in the Bundesliga last season as he chipped in with nine goal contributions and had some solid underlying defensive statistics.

With the 30-year-old now through the door, Klopp will be keen to snap up a younger alternative in this position.

It’s no secret that Liverpool have been long-term admirers of Bayern Munich star Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutch midfielder has been on their list for some time, but signing him this summer may prove difficult.

While the 21-year-old hasn’t really settled into life in Germany as of yet, Bayern don’t seem keen on the idea of selling him this summer.

According to Football Insider, Bayern Munich are ‘unwilling’ to sell the player this summer. This will be a blow to Liverpool and they could decide to move on to alternative targets.

The midfielder only joined Bayern Munich last summer in a deal worth around £16m from Ajax. Although he hasn’t made much of an impact yet, the German club want to keep him around.

Gravenberch still open to exit

While Bayern themselves don’t want to lose the player, it would seem as if Gravenberch himself is open to a move to the Premier League.

Along with Liverpool, Man Utd are also said to hold an interest in the 21-year-old. Although they will also have been made aware of these recent developments.

Earlier this week Fabrizio Romano provided an update on the player and outlaid where Gravenberch currently stands in all of this.

“The big problem with Gravenberch is Bayern,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “They want to keep Gravenberch, they don’t want to sell him. But in the last two, three days, Gravenberch is insisting to consider some possibilities in the Premier League.

“Liverpool called to be informed on the situation exactly as they did for [Sofyan] Amrabat, but they never submitted a bid.

“So let’s see if they will decide to enter the race with an official proposal or not. But at the moment, nothing advanced yet.

“Bayern are the big issue because they don’t want to sell the player. But in case Bayern will give the green light in the final days of the window, keep an eye on Liverpool, but especially Manchester United.”

The Dutch midfielder is under contract at Bayern until the summer of 2027 and so they hold most of the cards when deciding his future.

Time will tell if he does make the move this summer or if he knuckles down in Germany and fights for his place in Thomas Tuchel’s side.

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