Ex-Liverpool winger Ryan Babel is hoping his former club sign his namesake Ryan Gravenberch.

It is believed that the Reds are lining up an official offer for the Dutch international and taking to X on Thursday morning, Babel said he wants his fellow countryman to make the switch to Merseyside:

Good morning lads, hope we can sign Ryan #YNWA #LFC

— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) August 31, 2023

Negotiations for Gravenberch are currently complicated by the fact that his club Bayern Munich want to sign a replacement first before they allow the midfielder to leave.

Fulham’s Joao Palhinha is said to be their primary target but, at the time of writing, the Bundesliga champions have not submitted a formal bid.

If that changes, Gravenberch’s transfer to Liverpool could gather pace pretty quickly ahead of Friday night’s deadline. He is not expected to cost a huge amount with Bayern demanding around €30m (£26m).

Klopp has convinced the player to join Liverpool

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is thought to have contacted Gravenberch directly in order to persuade the Dutchman into making the move to Anfield.

Manchester United are also believed to be interested in the player, with their manager Erik ten Hag knowing him well after they worked together at Ajax.

However, Gravenberch is reportedly now prepared to turn down any approach from the Red Devils in order to seal his switch to Liverpool.

Gravenberch is not training

From the looks of things, the 21-year-old is determined to leave Bayern before the transfer window closes. He was not in first-team training on Thursday which may suggest he is trying to force through a move away from the German club.

The midfielder has become frustrated at his lack of playing opportunities since his arrival from Ajax last summer. While he did get his first appearance of the season against Augsburg last weekend, he only got 10 minutes as a substitute. Over the past twelve months, he has made just three league starts.