Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are interested in Mainz youngster Brajan Gruda, with the ground now set for a summer transfer tussle.
That’s according to SportBILD, who say Bayer Leverkusen are also keen on the 19-year-old and Mainz are now ready to open discussions.
The newspaper reports that Gruda is a target for the Bundesliga side, having established himself as one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe.
They’re not the only side on the list of suitors, though, with RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund also keen in Germany and Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle all interested in a potential deal.
Mainz had already told these interested parties that they would only hold concrete discussions over the youngster at the end of the season once they had successfully avoided relegation. That’s now been done so the negotiations can now be opened.
Gruda is currently valued a €9m but a deal is more likely to be struck at €20m, at least that is seen as the realistic price for him.
Whether Liverpool, Aston Villa or Newcastle are willing to pay that price isn’t mentioned but it seems that is where Mainz are setting their stall early on.
The real interesting point is that the German side are now ready to talk, potentially opening the floodgates to potential bids from around Europe.
