Rumour Mongering: AC Milan Register Ryan Gravenberch Interest

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

AC Milan were reportedly one of the clubs, along with Liverpool, that tried to sign Gravenberch from Ajax in 2022.

When Ryan Gravenberch signed for Bayern Munich from Ajax in 2022, they did so by beating Liverpool to the young Dutch midfielder’s signature. After two disappointing years in the Bundesliga, though, the Reds returned and belatedly got Gravenberch.

They weren’t the only other big club going for him back in 2022, though, and there were claims in Italy that AC Milan wanted him, too. And so of course now after a just okay first Anfield season, the rumour mongers in Italy are asking if it could be their turn to belatedly land Gravenberch.

According to the rarely reliable CalcioMercato, Milan have never entirely forgotten their 2022 interest in a player that it’s been reported Liverpool’s recruitment team saw in the same class as fellow young midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Jude Bellingham.

They’re even said to have reached out to Gravenberch’s representatives at the Raiola agency in recent weeks, though perhaps less out of a desire to actively pursue a deal this summer and more to ensure that should the player become available they’ll have laid the groundwork for a move.

As for Liverpool’s side in all this, there’s been no chatter surrounding Gravenberch, with both the player and club having signalled their commitment to a second season on Merseyside for the still developing 22-year-old under arriving manager Arne Slot.

Gravenberch’s two years in Germany didn’t see him hit the heights many expected, and while there was much good in his first year at Liverpool it’s probably fair to say the player didn’t make a massive leap forward last season, but it’s important to remember how young—and talented—he is.

Development isn’t always linear, and after paying £34M last summer and given how highly Gravenberch is reported to rate out it’s difficult to imagine any desire to move him on this summer while the player himself seems committed to a second season on Merseyside.