Ajax star Ryan Gravenberch has acknowledged interest from Bayern Munich and said contract negotiations with his current club have stopped entirely.
The 19-year-old featured at Euro 2020 and has drawn attention around Europe as his profile has risen.
Gravenberch said he is flattered by the spotlight as he works to regain his place in the Dutch national team after a dip in club form.
What has been said?
“The contract negotiations have now been stopped,” the midfielder told . “I just have one more year of contract now and that’s it, really. We’ll see.
“My father and agent are very busy with [handling other clubs] while I focus on football.
“Yeah, of course [I’ve seen the Bayern interest]. You can read it everywhere, so there is interest from Bayern, but I think there are several clubs.”
“I have no idea [what I’m worth], I have no idea. But if you’re worth €25 million (as has been reported), you can be proud because it’s a lot of money, of course.”
How has Gravenberch fared this year?
It’s been an up-and-down campaign since he starred at the Euros, and he was left out of the senior Netherlands squad for this international break.
Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has said the player’s form led to that decision, however Gravenberch isn’t concerned.
“A lesser phase, I don’t want to see it that way,” he said. “Before the winter break I didn’t play such very good games, but after the winter it really only went up.
“Then the team does well and you have to fight yourself back into the team, I just did that in the end.
“So I don’t agree with that [assessment from Van Gaal] so much.”
The bigger picture
Regardless of how his current form is viewed, Gravenberch is still widely considered one of the world’s best youngsters and plays for a club renowned for developing players.
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He has featured in 26 league matches this year after appearing in 32 last term.
As a result, teams such as Bayern Munich have grown very interested in his services.
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