Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Bayer Leverkusen forward Julian Brandt.
The 23-year-old has penned a five-year deal with the Ruhr district club, keeping him at the Westfalenstadion until June 2024.
Who is Julian Brandt? Five key things to know…
- It was previously reported that Brandt’s Leverkusen contract included a €25m release clause.
- Liverpool and Spurs were subsequently linked with the creative midfielder.
- But Brandt expressed an unwillingness to leave Germany, and so became the BVB’s third summer signing.
- Brandt created more chances than any player in the Bundesliga this season, with 86.
- The 11 assists these amounted to is also the third-highest total in the division.
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Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has been keen to add attacking impetus to his side following a tight-knit Bundesliga title run, in which Bayern Munich pipped them to the Meisterschale on the final game of the season.
Brandt, a 23-time Germany international, has been linked with several clubs across the continent, including some of the ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League, but Die Borussen have fended off competition to land the forward.
Sporting director Michael Zorc praised Brandt’s versatility and creative edge when talking to the club’s official website, believing their new signing will have a huge impact on the squad.
He said: “Although Julian Brandt has played in the Bundesliga for a long time and has a lot of experience both nationally and internationally, he is still a very young professional with potential for development at the age of 23.
🤝 Borussia Dortmund verpflichtet Julian Brandt!
🔥 #WirHabenBRANDT – Der 23-jährige Nationalspieler unterschreibt bis 2024 beim BVB!
Alle Infos 👉 https://t.co/BcoCIp8Syo pic.twitter.com/QowNKpHooe
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) May 22, 2019
“He can be used on several offensive positions and will enrich our game with his creativity”
Brandt also spoke of his delight, stating: “I am very motivated and optimistic! I am a person who sometimes decides things from the gut and for whom a good feeling is important.
“In the case of Borussia Dortmund, I have a very good feeling One of the main reasons for my change is that BVB narrowly missed the title last season, so there is room for improvement and I am very excited about the boys, I am very motivated and optimistic about my personal development but especially the whole team.”
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A busy summer for Dortmund
The season only finished for Dortmund at the weekend, but the club have wasted no time improving their squad, with Brandt the third signing already.
Earlier today Dortmund announced the signing of former Chelsea midfielder and Borussia Monchengladbach winger Thorgan Hazard.
The club also completed a deal to bring 1899 Hoffenheim left-back Nico Schulz to the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.
Brandt’s signing has now rounded off a very busy week for Dortmund, and there could yet be more activity before the summer transfer window slams shut.