Jude Bellingham is one of the primary transfer targets of Liverpool in the upcoming summer transfer window. But due to the high competition from the other clubs and also the asking price, Liverpool might drop out from the race.
But, right now, Liverpool might have found an alternative for Jude Bellingham from the Dutch club AFC Ajax. The young, highly talented Ryan Gravenberch, who is regarded as one of the future best players.
There are some reasons why the Reds will try to convince him to come to Anfield in the summer. One of the reasons is Manchester United’s exit from this season’s Champions League and the uncertainty in their position in the English Premier League. The Red Devils were one of the teams that used to see him as a target for the summer. But if they can’t play Champions League next season, he will not opt for a move to Old Trafford.
The second reason is the shocking exit of Ajax from the Champions League this season after they lost to Benfica in the Round of 16. It won’t be enjoyable for the midfielder not to play in Europe’s top competition. If he moves to Liverpool, Champions League will be a guaranteed one for him while looking at the current form of the Reds.
The player capped by the Netherlands ten times, has admitted that he could leave in the summer but isn’t sure what the future holds.
With Gravenberch’s contract having less than 18 months to run, the summer transfer window would provide the last opportunity for Ajax to obtain a decent fee for someone they have developed over the last decade.
But he has assured that he won’t leave for free. “I don’t know if I will leave in the summer. What I do know for sure is that I won’t leave Ajax if they don’t get anything back. I can’t leave on a free transfer. This won’t happen”, he said.
Should Ten Hag leave, Gravenberch will have even less incentive to stay this summer, and FSG could use that as a perfect opportunity to pounce.
Liverpool could secure the talented midfielder for a bargain price with just one year left on his contract. It would potentially be even below his 36 million pounds, and indeed for a significantly less than Jude Bellingham, who Borussia Dortmund is currently expecting to receive somewhere in the region of £90m for.
That makes Gravenberch by far the better value for money. At the same time, he is only a year older than Bellingham, with a similar amount of senior games under his belt (97 in comparison to Bellingham’s 125) and international caps (both have 10).
