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Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt this summer. The German international has fallen out of favor at the Bundesliga outfit and will be allowed to leave on a cut-price deal at the end of the season.
Arsenal were keen on signing Brandt during the January transfer window, but opted to bring in Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard instead. The Gunners view Brandt as a potential alternative to Odegaard if Los Blancos decide against selling the Norwegian in the summer.
According to BILD, Borussia Dortmund would be willing to accept a fee in the range of €20 million for Brandt. That would be significantly less than what Real Madrid would ask for Odegaard.
Brandt is also reportedly open to the idea of a change of scenery. The 24-year-old has only managed 16 starts in the Bundesliga for Dortmund this season and has fallen down the pecking order at the Signal Iduna Park. His move to Arsenal could benefit all parties involved.
Arsenal are in for a huge summer
Mikel Arteta will be looking to revamp his squad in the summer and is preparing for a massive clearout at Arsenal. The likes of Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Lucas Torreira, and Matteo Guedouzi are all on the chopping block to raise funds for the club.
Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette could also be on their way out of the Emirates if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. Losing both their star forwards would be a huge blow to the Gunners, but they would find it hard to keep players of that caliber without premium European football on offer.
Arteta has reportedly prioritized bringing in an attacking midfielder, a striker, two full-backs and a midfielder in the summer and has the full backing of the board. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal qualify for the Champions League as that would go a long way in helping with their recruitment.
Arsenal take on Villareal in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie on Thursday. Winning the competition is the Gunners' only realistic avenue to qualify for the Champions League next season as they are currently 10th in the Premier League, 12 points adrift of the fourth place.
