LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool completed the overhaul of its midfield by signing Netherlands international Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in a deal worth 40 million euros ($43.1 million) on Friday, the final day of the summer transfer window.
Gravenberch joins fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo in joining Liverpool this summer while Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have left.
The 21-year-old Gravenberch has signed a five-year deal just 12 months after joining Bayern from Ajax.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel was willing to let Gravenberch leave because he didn’t fit into the system.
“He’s a box-to-box midfielder for me, an attacking player,” Tuchel said on Friday before the signing was finalized. “The main problem for him is that we don’t really have a No. 8 in our 4-2-3-1 system. And we’re spoilt for choice up front, with really experienced players.
“Ryan is a very nice, hard-working, committed player. He wasn’t happy with his situation. He sees the chance in Liverpool to fight for a place at No. 8 in a 4-3-3. He’s wanted to go for a while.”
Gravenberch came through Ajax’s academy and was its youngest-ever debutant at 16. He has played 11 games for the Dutch.
“Very happy that the deal is done and I’m finally here,” Gravenberch said. “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.”
