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Arsenal could sign their own Federico Valverde as Edu 'monitors' sleeping giant
Arsenal transfer chief Edu could get his hands on a high-quality player this summer, but the pursuit may rely on a favour from Thomas Tuchel.
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Arsenal could snap up an all-action midfielder this summer as Ryan Gravenberch continues to struggle for minutes at Bayern Munich. Comparable in playing style to Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, Gravenberch is reportedly being monitored by Gunners sporting director Edu ahead of a potential swoop.
Amsterdam-born Gravenberch rose through the ranks with Ajax and became their youngest-ever player in 2018, beating Clarence Seedorf's previous record by making his senior debut at 16 years old.
Now 20, the 6ft 3in midfielder has been with Bayern Munich since last summer but the move has not worked out as planned. With just one Bundesliga start to his name as the end of the season approaches, Gravenberch may wish to explore options that offer him regular game time in the summer.
According to Sky Germany, Arsenal are among the teams monitoring his situation. But for the move to bear fruit, Edu must first get the green light from new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel.
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Negotiations are not yet believed to have taken place but efforts to move for Gravenberch could ramp up over the coming weeks. The youngster, formerly hailed as one of the next big things at Ajax, has been limited to just 324 minutes of league football this season.
Rangy, adventurous and with an eye for goal, Gravenberch has many of the midfield attributes that top managers long for and a similar style of play to the likes of Jude Bellingham or Valverde.
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The latter has taken his game to another level with Real Madrid this season, hitting 12 goals in all competitions as they strive to retain their Champions League crown. While Valverde or Bellingham would likely set suitors back a huge sum this summer, Gravenberch may not be so pricey.
Bayern were held to have pulled off a major coup by paying just £16million for the Dutchman, who has already amassed 11 international caps. While the German giants would naturally be keen to turn a profit, Arsenal may not be required to fork out a monstrous fee for all parties to leave satisfied.
Manchester United have also been heavily linked with Gravenberch in the past, and it remains to be seen whether manager Erik ten Hag will seek to reunite with the player at the end of the campaign, having spent several seasons together at Ajax.
After signing on the dotted line for Bayern, the Netherlands star shed light on his decision: "Manchester United is a very big and nice club. But I already had such a good feeling at Bayern and I had them given my word."