With the summer transfer window set to close in little over a week, Manchester United is in a crunch, and Erik ten Hag seems to be giving the midfield priority.

What has happened with Ryan Gravenberch’s transfer to Manchester United?
Reporter Samuel Luckhurst for the Manchester Evening News claims that the Red Devils are pondering a last-minute move for Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich, who was an Ajax player under Ten Hag.

Additionally, according to TEAMtalk, United are prioritising a deal for Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina over all other targets, but they are still interested in signing Gravenberch, who the Bundesliga champions are willing to let go for €35 million (£29 million).

Mason Mount was previously acquired by the Red Devils for £55 million this summer, but now that Fred has left for Fenerbahce, there is room for another star to join the team and clinch a key position.

The calibre of Ryan Gravenberch?
Gravenberch, who was regarded as “indispensable” for his illustrious former Eredivisie team by talent scout Jacek Kulig, made the transfer from Ajax to Munich a year ago for a cost that eventually reached €24 million (£20 million).

With 103 appearances for Ajax during his time in his native country, the “outstanding” Gravenberch — as described by former Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidi — scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists, garnering praise as a truly prodigious talent and being crucial to winning three league championships and two KNVB Cups.

This is very different from the 11-cap Netherlands international’s experience at the Allianz Arena, where he started just three games last season and was a substitute for the first two games of the 2023–24 season.

Despite not being a core member of Die Roten, the “dominant” £152k-per-week machine, as once praised by his former youth coach Brian Tevreden, is among the top 7% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for progressive passes, the top 18% for successful take-ons, and the top 17% for tackles per 90, according to FBref.

Jude Bellingham is compared to the Bayern machine by FBref’s statistical model, thus Ten Hag might unleash an incredible new engine by guiding his former youngster to success at Old Trafford.

Bellingham completed a €103 million (£88.5 million) transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid this summer and is regarded as one of modern football’s most enormous talents, having been dubbed a “generational talent” by reporter Raphael Honigstein.

He currently ranks among the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive passes and progressive carries, and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90. He has recorded three goals and one assist in his first two LaLiga games.

Both Bellingham and Gravenberch are creative and technical players, as evidenced, and even though the Los Blancos star’s metrics vastly outweigh Gravenberch’s in many ways, it’s important to keep in mind that the Dutchman has been playing a supporting role and has not been able to fully utilise his skill set.

Gravenberch, who has been hailed as a “monster who’s extremely comfortable on the ball” by Born ‘n Red contributor Asim, might be the answer to Ten Hag’s conundrum as he seeks to strengthen Manchester United’s centre and map a path to success. Given the reasonable price, it’s a move that must unquestionably be made.