Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on Julian Brandt, with Bayern Munich interested in signing the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder as well, as per reports.
Spanish publication Marca have reported that Real Madrid will be monitoring Julian Brandt closely as Bayer Leverkusen take on Atletico Madrid over two legs in the Champions League Round of 16. The German midfielder has been heavily linked with Liverpool and Bayern Munich are interested as well.
Julian Brandt has set the stage on fire ever since joined Bayer Leverkusen in January 2014. Signed from Wolfsburg for a meagre €350,000 when he was just 18, Brandt has continued to develop as one of the most exciting talents in Germany.
Still only 20, Brandt has already established himself in the national setup with Germany and is a key figure at Bayer Leverkusen, having already amassed 120 appearances in just over two years at the club. The current campaign has seen his stock rise further with Brandt bagging 2 goals and 6 assists in the Bundesliga.
His superlative performances in attack haven’t gone unnoticed either, with a slew of clubs being linked with Brandt in recent months. These include the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and others but Liverpool have shown the greatest interest in the 20-year-old.
Indeed, the Premier League heavyweights have been long-time admirers of the Brandt’s talents and with Jurgen Klopp looking to beef up his attacking options, the youngsters has been identified as a top target for the summer.
However, Liverpool could face competition in the form of Real Madrid before they can get their hands on Brandt. The report states that Brandt has long been on the radar of the La Liga leaders, and the club looks set to now make their interest more concrete by having the player scouted in Bayer’s Last 16 matches against Atletico Madrid.
The report further adds that Brandt possesses just the skill set that Real Madrid are looking for. Indeed, with a handy burst of pace, along with superb close control and clever distribution, he is a player who has a lot of potential to be exploited. On top of that, he can also play all across the attacking position despite predominantly being a left sided player.
With the majority of his career in front of him, Real Madrid could sign Brandt as a long-term successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, under whom he can continue to learn and develop further. However, Bayern Munich may also be interested, with the Bundesliga champions having already had two bids rejected.
But, Bayer sports director Rudi Voller has already indicated that the club does not intend to let go of Brandt before the summer of 2018. And even when they do that, they are unwilling to sell to a team from Bundesliga effectively ruling Bayern out of the race to sign him.
With the futures of Isco and James Rodriguez being uncertain, Zinedine Zidane could be desperate to add an attacking option in the summer. He will face competition from other clubs, though, prominently from Liverpool and it will be interesting to see if Bayer indeed wilt under the pressure of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
