Summary
Newcastle United are one of the clubs "showing the greatest interest" in Bayern Munich's exciting young midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, but a deal may prove difficult, claims journalist Rudy Galetti.
Is Ryan Gravenberch joining Newcastle United?
It was a fantastic season for the Magpies last year. Not only did they reach the Carabao Cup final, but they also qualified for the Champions League for the first time in over two decades and did so with ease come the end of the campaign.
With European football secured for next year and a level of wealth unmatched by even Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, fans and pundits expected the Toon to finally splash the cash in a significant way this summer. While they haven't spent as flagrantly as they probably could, some brilliant players have already made their way to the Northeast this summer.
The first major signing for Eddie Howe's team was that of Sandro Tonali, who joined from Serie A giants – and his boyhood club – AC Milan for a cool £55m.
The arrival of the Italian international certainly felt like a seminal moment for this new Newcastle side. Not only had they secured the signature of a highly sought-after international, they had prised him from a team that had won the league in Italy just over one year ago – and did so with little difficulty.
The next big name to arrive at St James Park was Leicester City's Harvey Barnes, who joined from the relegated side for a fee of around £39m, which, while not cheap, could represent excellent value should the 25-year-old replicate his Foxes form up north.
However, even with these two brilliant signings, Newcastle look like they will be adding yet more quality in the coming weeks, as Italian reports from back in May claimed that the Toon were preparing a bid of around €50m (£44m) to land Bayern's highly rated Dutch youngster Gravenberch.
The Dutch international made the move to Bavaria just last summer in a deal worth up to £20m but having started just three Bundesliga games since then, an exit looks increasingly likely, but Newcastle shouldn't rest on their laurels here as the Guardian reported that fellow Premier League side Liverpool were also interested in the player last week.
What has Rudy Galetti said about Newcastle United and Ryan Gravenberch?
Galetti explained that the Toon were one of several clubs interested in the youngsters' services, but any deal to sign him would likely take quite some time.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Newcastle are also still looking for a new midfielder and are one of the clubs that have shown the greatest interest in him so far.
"Anyway, any negotiation for Gravenberch, for sure, will take time, and it won't be that fast."
How good is Ryan Gravenberch?
Interestingly, Rafael van der Vaart stated that Gravenberch is "better than Jude Bellingham. At everything", which is high praise coming from a former Premier League star.
There is no getting around the fact that last season was a poor one for the 21-year-old, who is a part of the Raiola agency.
Starting just three Bundesliga games and racking up only 562 minutes across the entire campaign has not done his development or profile any good.
That said, the interest from top sides such as the Reds and the Magpies should be evidence enough that elite clubs are still interested in the player and still view him as a potential future star, and it's not hard to see why when looking at his seasons before his move to Munich.
His two stand-out campaigns for Dutch giants Ajax came in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, when he achieved a seriously impressive season rating of 7.29 and 7.33, respectively, per WhoScored.
Interestingly, despite his limited game time for the Bundesliga champions over the last 12 months, his underlying numbers remain impressive and suggest that he may have been somewhat unlucky on the pitch and deserving of more game time from his coaches.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Amsterdam-born gem sits in the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for progressive passes received, the top 14% for non-penalty expected goal, the top 15% for total shots, and the top 18% for successful take-ons, all per 90.
He has also won plaudits from analysts and former players, with Jacek Kulig proclaiming him a "top-talent" and former Ajax forward Wim Kieft writing in De Telegraaf (via the Liverpool Echo) that Gravenberch was "the greatest talent in the Netherlands."
There is still a great deal of hope that the young Dutchman, who allegedly earns £194k per week, can eventually live up to the outrageously high expectations so many once had of him, and maybe the best place to do that is at the high-flying Newcastle.
