Arsenal to battle Newcastle for Bundesliga midfield star wanted by Liverpool: report

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Mikel Arteta of Arsenal shakes hands with Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe before the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on January 03, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal and Newcastle are reportedly keeping tabs on Borussia Dortmund and Germany attacking midfielder Julian Brandt.

The 27-year-old – who scored in Dortmund's 2-0 home Champions League win over Newcastle on Tuesday night – has previously been a target for Liverpool.

Brandt joined BVB from fellow Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen for around £22m in 2019; he has made almost 200 appearances for the Black and Yellows.

DORTMUND, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 1: Julian Brandt of Borussia Dortmund looks on during the DFB cup second round match between Borussia Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on November 1, 2023 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Brandt won the 2020/21 DFB-Pokal (German Cup) with Borussia Dortmund (Image credit: Getty Images)

The former Wolfsburg youngster signed a contract extension until 2026 in April this year, but that doesn't appear to have deterred the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle from weighing up a move.

According to the Mirror, both the Gunners and Magpies are keen on Brandt – who has been capped 45 times by Germany, featuring at the 2018 World Cup.

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But the two clubs could miss out if Liverpool still hold an interest – especially given the player's past comments about the Reds.

In an interview with The Athletic back in July, Brandt even admitted that he could have  moved to Anfield in 2017 – had his circumstances been different.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JUNE 11: Julian Brandt of Germany during the UEFA Nations League League A Group 3 match between Hungary and Germany at Puskas Arena on June 11, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Brandt has three international goals to his name (Image credit: Getty Images)

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist said: "I had that chance to take that next step to join Liverpool, but the time wasn't right for me.

"I was aware that they were also looking at Mo Salah at the time. It's a shame because I would have loved to play for Kloppo [Jurgen Klopp]."

Currently valued at €40m (roughly £35m) by Transfermarkt, Brandt arrived at Dortmund just under two years after Klopp had left – a matter of months before his appointment as Reds manager.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...