Arsenal are set to do battle with Atletico Madrid to try to sign Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt, in keeping with reports in Spain.
Each clubs will face off within the Champions League semi-finals over the following fortnight as they appear to punch their ticket to the ultimate in Budapest.
Nevertheless it appears that they can even be rivalling one another within the transfer market this summer to sign Germany international Brandt on a free transfer.
In response to Marca, Atletico sporting director Mateu Alemany has kept an in depth eye on Brandt because the Spanish club seek to search out a substitute for the departing Antoine Griezmann.
But Brandt, who has ten goal involvements in 25 Bundesliga matches this season, can be said to be attracting interest from Arsenal ahead of what guarantees to be one other pivotal summer window for the Gunners.
Brandt joined Dortmund in 2019 from Bayer Leverkusen, but is about to depart the German club after seven years having didn’t agree terms on a brand new deal.
‘After open talks, we agreed that the contract that is about to run out wouldn’t be renewed,’ Dortmund’s managing director for sport Lars Ricken told Sky Germany last month.
“[He has] played a couple of hundred games for Borussia Dortmund. I believe we will only feel gratitude towards him.
‘He spent seven years with us and was sometimes viewed critically. Today he arrange one other goal. I at all times appreciated his numbers.
‘He’ll turn 30 in a couple of weeks, and we will look to maneuver in a rather latest direction — so it will possibly even be a possibility for either side.’
Speaking earlier this month, Brandt said he had a couple of options along with his next move, and didn’t rule out staying within the Bundesliga.
‘Let yourself be surprised. There are lots of ideas, not every idea is sweet, but there are a lot of ideas,’ Brandt told Sky Germany.
‘In principle, I’m not ruling anything out. But there are things I prefer, and there are things I currently find harder to assume.
‘As I said: there are one or two ideas, but the whole lot in the end.’
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