Ryan Gravenberch’s agent has told Liverpool fans to ‘keep calm’ after he backed the midfielder to play for Real Madrid.
After a difficult first season at Anfield following his £34m move from Bayern Munich, Gravenberch has established himself as one of Liverpool’s standout performers this term under Arne Slot.
But Gravenberch’s representative, Jose Fortes, angered Liverpool supporters on Thursday after he revealed in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca that he would be keen to see the 22-year-old play for the Champions League holders.
Speaking about Gravenberch’s progression since joining Liverpool, Fortes said: ‘He’s good enough for Real Madrid.
‘We would love for him to play for them, but Liverpool would ask for a lot of money.
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‘I know they’ve had their eye on him, but now it’s impossible.’
Liverpool supporters confronted Fortes on Instagram over his comments about Gravenberch with one fan writing: ‘Liverpool is the biggest club in the world. If you don’t respect us, leave.
‘Our club is bigger than you and your client. We love and support him, but this is disrespectful.’
Fortes, however, distanced his comments from Gravenberch’s own beliefs and insisted the midfielder is ‘really happy’ at Liverpool.
Fortes replied: ‘I’m Spanish, it’s my dream club, not the dream club of Ryan. He is really, really happy, and if you ask Ryan, he will agree with you, no stress, keep calm.’
Foretes also explained how Liverpool became the ‘perfect’ fit for Gravenberch after he struggled for playing time under Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich.
‘Ryan needed playing time to develop. I told Nagelsmann that if he didn’t play, he would leave,’ Fortes said.
‘We were clear that he had to go to Liverpool, he fit in perfectly with this team.
‘When Ryan was 16, Barca called us. They wanted to sign him, but his father and I prioritized his development.
‘At Ajax, he was able to develop in a way that he possibly wouldn’t have at Barca.’
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