Will Julian Brandt leave Borussia Dortmund for the Premier League?

Borussia Dortmund playmaker Julian Brandt has been linked with a January move to the Premier League.

The future of the 29-year-old Germany international, whose contract expires next summer, has become the focus of growing speculation in recent months, with Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa the latest clubs credited with interest.

Brandt has been at Signal Iduna Park since May 2019, when he completed a £22.1m move from Bayer Leverkusen, initially on a four-year contract. 

Amid arguably his finest season at the club, the attacking midfielder agreed a two-year extension in April 2023. Brant scored nine goals in that campaign and set up eight more as Leverkusen agonisingly lost out to Bayern Munich on goal difference in the Bundesliga.

How has Julian Brandt done at Borussia Dortmund?

He has remained an influential figure, but became a lightning rod for criticism last season as Dortmund struggled to recover from a disastrous start in the league. It was not until the final day of the campaign that Dortmund secured Champions League football as manager Niko Kovac, appointed at the start of February, completed a brilliant turnaround after inheriting a side in 11th place.

Brandt indicated he was content to take the flack – “If the club is going through a hard time and someone has to be found who holds his head, then I’m happy to do that,” he said before the final match of the season – and was later hailed by Sebastian Kehl, the club’s sporting director, as “one of the most stable players of the past season”.

What has Julian Brandt said about leaving Borussia Dortmund?

Yet a sense remains that the midfielder could be tempted away by a mutually acceptable offer. Talks over a new contract remain on hold, and Kehl was notably vague about Brandt’s future when quizzed on the issue in March.

“There isn’t much to say about the current situation,” said Kehl. “Of course, we have a contract, but we are in a difficult situation. Julian knows that as well.”

Publicly, Brandt has shown no desire to leave Dortmund, for whom he has scored 47 goals in 270 appearances. 

“At the moment, I don’t have any other plans,” Brandt told Sky Germany in May. “The fact that there are rumours from time to time, I find it flattering. But I carry this club in my heart. I like the team I play with, and I have a good relationship with the coach.”  

How would Julian Brandt fit in at Tottenham, Newcastle or Aston Villa?

Given the abundance of attacking talent at Thomas Frank’s disposal, Tottenham would seem an unlikely destination.

Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo-Muani all arrived in north London this summer, as did winger Mathys Tel, whose permanent signing from Bayern Munich was made permanent in June. Given that Tel was omitted from Tottenham’s Champions League squad, any move for Brandt would only complicate matters further for Frank, a reality that will not be lost on the German.

Newcastle likewise appear well stocked in terms of playmakers, with another striker to complement Nick Woltemade the more obvious priority for a club that has scored just three league goals so far this season.

Is Aston Villa the logical choice for Julian Brandt?

That leaves Aston Villa, who are crying out for greater creativity after finding the net only once in five Premier League games. How open Brandt would be to joining a team currently residing in the relegation zone and without a win so far this season is another matter.

Other English clubs including Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with Brandt in the past, and it is understood that the midfielder’s father, who represents him, made discreet enquiries about a possible move this summer. 

With the midfielder free to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club from January, the winter transfer window could yet prove an eventful one for Brandt.