What should have been an innocuous upload to Rafaela Pimenta's Instagram story back in January inevitably set tongues wagging about Liverpool's interest in Ryan Gravenberch.
The Brazilian solicitor, who represents the Bayern Munich midfielder, was at Anfield for a game at the turn of the year during a time when the Reds were being linked with some mid-season surgery on their midfield department.
In an industry that feasts upon transfer-related content, it was no surprise to see intrigue subsequently pique at the sight of Gravenberch's agent posting outside Anfield and while adding two and two together sometimes makes five where the trading of players is concerned, there is no disputing that the Netherlands youngster has his admirers at Liverpool.
It was reported in mid-April that a representative of the Reds met with Gravenberch's father about a possible move to Anfield as the club tried to press ahead proactively with plans to rebuild a midfield that, as well as stagnating alarmingly last term, has also since lost James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
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"I played 12 years for Ajax, I'm a big player but I am also technical," he told Bayern Munich's YouTube channel after signing last year. "I like to dribble a lot. You have to know your environment, the ball on one side, you have to change to the other side. Also defending, for a central player, you have to be good. Without football I don't know what I'd do, so football means everything to me."
Gravenberch's maiden season at Bayern was also one of stagnation following his move from Ajax the previous summer for a fee of around £18m. Despite making 33 appearances in all competitions, the Oranje international was limited to less than 1000 minutes, which worked out at an average of 28 a match.
Having initially moved with designs on winning the Champions League in Bavaria, barely featuring for a manager who was sacked in March before seeing the CEO (Oliver Khan) and sporting director (Hasan Salihamidzic) dramatically follow him in May was not how it was supposed to work out for Gravenberch after the first year.
As a result, the 21-year-old became disgruntled by his lack of playing time, hence the reported meeting with a Liverpool set-up who are determined to rebuild their engine room following their lowest-place finish since 2016.
The March appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager could yet be the element that decides what Gravenberch does next and if Liverpool are able to follow through on their long-standing interest in the Dutchman. The relationship between the two clubs is thought to be positive following two high-profile deals for Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane since September 2020.
Having failed to break into the Bayern team under Julian Nagelsmann, the appointment of Tuchel could bring about a change in fortunes for Gravenberch. The alternative, however, is that the ex-Chelsea boss views him in the same light as his predecessor at the Allianz Arena. It is this prospect that will lead to the ex-Ajax man seeking pastures new, he admitted last week.
"I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern," Gravenberch told De Telegraaf in his homeland. "Otherwise at a club where I’ll 100% play. That’s my preference. I don’t want to have another year like the one I’ve just had. I really learned a lot from it. But I just want to play football.
“I haven’t really spoken to the coach (Tuchel) about that yet, that will happen after the Euros when I’m back from Georgia and Romania. Then we’ll see how things are.”
And while Alexis Mac Allister has already arrived as a significant reinforcement at Anfield this summer, the prospect of regular minutes in Jurgen Klopp's midfield is open and available to all who come through the door this summer.
Recent comments from Bayern's president Herbert Hainer played something of a straight bat to the speculation surrounding Gravenberch, however. “In my opinion, he is an incredibly talented player,” Hainer said. “That’s why we brought him. He got more playing time towards the end of the season. I’m sure he’ll get more playing time in the future.”
“I see Ryan’s qualities in training," Tuchel said in one of his early dealings with the press as Bayern boss. "He’s doing well. He’s a midfielder who can turn and dribble very well. Now it’s about being patient. It’s about fighting to be there.”
Patience may be wearing thin for Gravenberch, though, if he cannot be assured of more game-time in a squad that also contains Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller. What happens post-Euros will be instructive to how this story plays out and Liverpool will continue to watch on keenly.
When you can see Gravenberch in action for Netherlands' U21s:
Netherlands v Belgium, June 21
Netherlands v Portugal, June 24
Netherlands v Georgia, June 27
All kick-off times are 5pm.
