Arsenal are reportedly set to revisit their interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to BILD’s Christian Falk, Premier League bigwigs Arsenal will rekindle their interest in Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt this summer, as they look at possible alternatives for Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal had shown an interest in signing Brandt from Dortmund during the January transfer window earlier this year, following Mesut Ozil’s exile from first-team and subsequent departure to Fenerbahce. However, a move did not materialise for the German international, with the Gunners instead opting to sign Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid.
Since arriving at the Emirates, the Norwegian has made a solid impression, so much so that Arsenal are hoping to sign him on a permanent basis. However, such a deal would be extremely difficult given as the north Londoners are unlikely to be able to meet Real Madrid’s lofty transfer fee demands with finances being tight and likely to get even tighter if they miss European football for next season.
To that end, Arsenal have already been drawing up a list of alternatives for Odegaard, should a permanent move be impossible. Of late, they have been linked with a move for German international Julian Draxler, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, as his contract with Paris Saint-Germain runs out. And now, Falk has claimed that the Gunners could be set to revisit their interest in Brandt.
“Odegaard is playing quite well, and they would probably like to keep him. But he is definitely too expensive, so they will bring out the old plans from January. We have already talked about Julian Brandt from Dortmund and that he is a player that Arsenal would like. He will only cost €25 million, but of course, it’s a matter of negotiation,” he said speaking to BILD. (h/t Sport Witness)
Brandt is in his second season with Dortmund, having arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019. However, he has fallen down the pecking order under interim manager Edin Terzic and has been reduced to a bit-part player at best in the second half of the season. It remains to be seen if that changes when Marco Rose takes over the reins of the club full-time ahead of next season.
Falk’s comments, though, indicate that Dortmund could be open to a sale, which should not come as a surprise as their finances have been hit hard by the pandemic. And at €25 million, he can be a handy signing for Arsenal. It now remains to be seen if Mikel Arteta & co. make a renewed attempt to land the German international.