Liverpool have dropped out of the race for Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, and they will instead prioritise the signing of Southampton's Romeo Lavia, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.
What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?
Liverpool have already bolstered their midfield with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, with the latter joining in a £60m deal earlier this week, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Reds.
However, Jurgen Klopp is still eager to get more done in the transfer market, and with Steven Gerrard lining up Jordan Henderson as his first signing for Al-Ettifaq, the manager may need to bring in multiple new options in midfield.
There have been several players linked with a switch to Anfield, including Nice's Khephren Thuram, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, while the likes of Franck Kessie and Tyler Adams have also been named as potential options.
Gravenberch has been touted for a move to Liverpool on a number of occasions, with the Reds said to be plotting a swoop for the Bayern Munich man way back in March, however it now appears as though he will not be joining this summer.
That is according to Plettenberg, who took to Twitter to claim the Reds are "definitely" out of the race for the midfielder, despite the fact that talks between the club and the player's management took place.
"News Gravenberch: Liverpool is definitely OUT of the race! But talks between the club and the player's management took place," the journalist said.
Instead, Lavia is now considered one of the priority targets for Klopp, although the Sky Sports reporter is keen to stress that Bayern would be willing to sell the Dutchman this summer, if they received the right offer.
FSG have also dropped out of the race for Khephren Thuram, with reporter David Lynch revealing the OGC Nice midfielder will no longer be pursued due to the addition of Szoboszlai, so it seems all focus really is on a more traditional 'number six' like Lavia.
What position does Ryan Gravenberch play?
The 21-year-old has most often played at central midfield throughout his career so far, however he is also capable of playing in a deeper role, ranking in the 73rd percentile for tackles and 71st for interceptions per 90 over the course of the past year.
During his time with Ajax, the youngster was hailed as "indispensable" by football scout Jacek Kulig, making a minimum of 30 Eredivisie appearances in his final two seasons with the club, however he has not quite managed to kick on at Bayern Munich.
In his first season with the German champions last year, the former Ajax man only received 559 minutes worth of game time across the Bundesliga season, having been unable to hold down a consistent place in the starting XI.
That said, the £152k-per-week midfielder is still very young at 21-years-old, and he has plenty of time to develop further, so it is a little disappointing that Liverpool have dropped out of the race for his signature.
However, Lavia could prove to be a very good alternative option for the Reds, particularly in a defensive sense, having averaged more blocks and interceptions per 90 than Gravenberch over the course of the past year.
Now the Southampton star is one of Liverpool's priority targets, Klopp will be hoping progress can be made towards securing his signature in the coming days.
