Arsenal join well-informed Newcastle in race for Klopp favourite, as January transfer stance emerges

An attacking midfielder long coveted by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is on the radars of Arsenal and Newcastle United after a report revealed their interest in Julian Brandt from Borussia Dortmund.

Brandt recently scored for Borussia Dortmund against Newcastle in the Champions League and it has prompted the Mirror to remind that the Germany international is a potential target for Eddie Howe’s side after they were directly able to take information about him.

Arsenal are also keen on Brandt, though, and could launch their own rival attempt to bring the 27-year-old to the Premier League for the first time in his career.

There was, of course, an opportunity for Brandt to make that leap much earlier. Much has been made of the fact that in 2017, Liverpool boss Klopp wanted to sign him before landing Mohamed Salah from Roma instead.

Brandt has since admitted that, while he had his reasoning at the time for not doing so, perhaps he should have made the move.

“I had that chance to take that next step to join Liverpool, but the time wasn’t right for me,” he told The Athletic back in July.

“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.”

Now, either Arsenal or Newcastle – both of whom are, like Dortmund, competing in the Champions League this season – could provide the right-footer with a belated route into English football.

According to the report, though, Dortmund have little intention of selling Brandt in the January transfer window – especially considering the fact that they renewed his contract until 2026 earlier this year.

That said, there could be movement at the end of the season, by which point Brandt will have turned 28.

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He has played for Dortmund since 2019, when they bought him from fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Since then, he has played 185 times for his current club, scoring 36 goals and providing 39 assists.

Brandt is one of the best in the Bundesliga

Earlier this year, he was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2022-23, after getting nine goals and eight assists from 32 league games in a campaign in which Dortmund missed out on the title to Bayern Munich by just goal difference.

This season, Brandt has scored six goals and set up five more for his teammates during his 16 appearances in all competitions. He has played on either wing or in a central attacking midfield role.

Before his spell with Dortmund, Brandt made 215 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, for whom he scored 42 goals and made 51 assists.

At international level, Germany have given him 45 caps, including spaces in their squads for the two most recent World Cups. He has three goals to his name for his country.

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