Mikel Arteta steps up Arsenal transfer chase for Man Utd target who snubbed Erik ten Hag
Premier League leaders Arsenal will be after summer reinforcements regardless of whether they pip Manchester City to the title, with the club and manager Mikel Arteta exploring their options
Arsenal are monitoring Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch amid suggestions the former Man Utd target could find himself on the move once more after a tough start at Bayern Munich.
Gravenberch, who played under United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, was linked with a summer move to Old Trafford. It failed to materialise, though, with the youngster refusing to budge on his plans to join Bayern.
Things haven’t gone entirely swimmingly for the 20-year-old in Bavaria, though, while Julian Nagelsmann – the manager who brought him to the Allianz Arena – has been relieved of his duties. This appears to have prompted Arsenal to explore the possibility for a summer move for the starlet, who has until the end of the season to impress Nagelsmann’s successor; Thomas Tuchel.
According to Sky Sports in Germany, Arsenal have yet to enter into any official negotiations over Gravenberch. However, they are said to be monitoring the Dutch international’s situation in Bavaria.
The former Ajax man has barely played 700 minutes in Bayern colours, with only one of his league outings coming as a member of the starting line-up. He has picked up a few more minutes in cup competitions, including two 90-minute runouts in the Champions League group stages, but he only played three minutes across the two legs of Bayern’s round of 16 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal are well-stocked in midfield, having handed Mohamed Elneny a new deal and added Jorginho to their ranks in January. The likes of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard were already on the books, prompting questions about whether Gravenberch might end up facing similar issues at the Emirates Stadium.
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“Manchester United is a very big and nice club,” Gravenberch told De Telegraaf over the summer. “But I already had such a good feeling at Bayern and I had them given my word.
“I like the fact that Nous (former Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui) is going there (Bayern Munich) too. It’s always nice when you already know someone.”
Despite travelling to Euro 2020 with The Netherlands, Gravenberch has been unable to cement his place in the Dutch national side. He has played just once for his country since joining Bayern, and wasn’t included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup.
He has come off the bench in each of Tuchel’s first two games with Bayern, though, and has a chance to make a further impact as the 2020 Champions League winners take on Manchester City in this season’s quarter-finals. The Bundesliga leaders won every single game in the competition under Nagelsmann, but their midweek opponents are coming off an 8-1 aggregate victory over RB Leipzig in the previous round.
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