Soon-to-be Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has confirmed that he snubbed interest from Manchester United to sign for the German champions from Ajax.
The 20-year-old worked closely under Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam since working his way up from the club's youth academy and was tipped to follow his compatriot to Old Trafford.
Man United are expected to prioritise the signing of a new midfielder in the summer transfer window after losing Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard on free transfers already.
However, Gravenberch recently confirmed that he would be joining Bayern for the 2022-23 season after Julian Nagelsmann's side agreed a reported £21m deal for his services.
"Bayern is a big club. I think you have to win big titles here. And that's also what I expect. I'm happy to be here in Munich now," Gravenberch told German outlet Bild.
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The Dutch midfielder has subsequently revealed that the door was open for him to move to Old Trafford, but the pull of the Allianz Arena was too strong to ignore after he had verbally agreed to sign for Bayern.
"Manchester United is a very big and nice club. But I already had such a good feeling at Bayern and I had them given my word," Gravenberch told De Telegraaf.
Gravenberch leaves Ajax after making 103 appearances for the Dutch giants in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing 13 assists in the process.
The midfielder's 2021-22 season saw him amass two goals and five assists from 30 outings in the Eredivisie as he collected his third top-flight title under Ten Hag.
Gravenberch leaves Ajax having won three Eredivisie crowns and two KNVB-Beker titles at senior level, while he has now earned 10 caps for the Netherlands national team.
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While Ten Hag was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring Gravenberch to Old Trafford, the Dutchman has allegedly convinced Frenkie de Jong to make the switch from Barcelona this summer.
De Jong was instrumental in Ajax's run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals under Ten Hag, but Man United are yet to agree a fee with La Blaugrana for his services.
The Red Devils have supposedly already been pushed back with a £60m bid for the 25-year-old but are expected to return with a fresh offer in the coming days.
Man United are also reported to be close to the signing of Ajax winger Antony, whose agents are in dialogue with the 20-time English champions over a summer switch.
Ben Knapton
