Aston Villa transfer interest in German international emerges: report
The summer transfer window is closed but Monchi and Aston Villa are already working hard with a view to making January signings.
Villa have been linked with a number of players in a variety of positions in the nine days since transfer deadline day. They are reportedly interested in Dani Vivian of Athletic Club as well as Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, and a German international midfielder with a wealth of Bundesliga experience is apparently another potential target.
Julian Brandt has been monitored by Premier League clubs for years. According to reports, the 29-year-old remains on the radar for Villa and Newcastle United after previous links with Tottenham Hotspur.
Brandt is in the final year of his contract at Borussia Dortmund, where he has played since 2019. His availability on a free transfer next summer means he could be attainable at a low fee in the January transfer window, and if there’s competition for his signature there might well be such a move on the cards despite his current absence through injury.
Villa moved to strengthen their attack after selling Jacob Ramsey and brought in Brandt’s former teammate, Jadon Sancho, on a season-long loan deal.
But the England international is unlikely to remain at Villa Park beyond this season unless everything falls into place for both the player and the club, and Brandt would be seen as a flexible option to play on the left or in a central attacking midfield position.
Mixed fortunes for Brandt
Blessed with considerable technical ability, Brandt has long been a respected player in German football. In his 269 matches for Dortmund he’s proved a vital playmaker, scoring 47 goals and providing 69 assists in all competitions.
He seems to be going from strength to strength in terms of goal contributions, thriving in 2022/23 and 2023/24. Brandt produced 22 goal involvements last season, exactly the kind of output that catches the eye of Premier League clubs.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man was instrumental in Dortmund’s run to the final of the Champions League in 2023/24, a campaign that also featured Villa trio Sancho, Donyell Malen and Ian Maatsen.
Yet Brandt has just one winner’s medal to show for his work. Bayern Munich dominate the trophies domestically, and Leverkusen’s brief moment as Bundesliga champions helped to keep Dortmund off the top when the Bavarian giants were out of sorts.
Brandt has collected 48 senior international caps dating back to 2016 but has never really been first choice. When it comes to major tournaments, the likes of Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz have tended to get the nod.
Germany left Brandt out of successive European Championship squads in 2016, 2021 and 2024, and he’s had to settle for substitute appearances in the World Cup finals.
He was a more central figure at the Rio Olympics in 2016, when Germany’s Under-23s made it all the way to the final against Brazil. Brandt’s nine tournament assists were the catalyst as the Germans returned with silver medals.
The post Aston Villa transfer interest in German international emerges: report appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.