Bayern Munich Open Negotiations for Top Liverpool Target Julian Brandt

According to club-connected journalists at The Liverpool Echo and elsewhere, Julian Brandt is Jürgen Klopp’s priority target this summer, his top attacking target, and the club plan to go hard for the 20-year-old rising star currently plying his trade with Bayer Leverkusen.

Those plans may have taken a hit today, with SportsBild saying that Bayern Munich have begun negotiations with his current club and have also made Brandt a top target. Bayern’s interest has been reported previously, but this would appear to be an escalation of their interest.

Brandt could be up for grabs this summer due to the fact he has just two years left on his current contract and that next summer, a release clause of just €12.5M kicks in, meaning that if Leverkusen don’t believe they can sign him to a new deal, they have to sell this year.

Rumours have previously claimed Liverpool could offer upwards of £20M to get a deal done quickly, but that it would be dependant on the club’s ability to break back into the Champions League by finishing in the top four this season, something that is far from a certainty.

In the meantime, Bayern’s interest appears to be serious and their own participation in next season’s Champions League is hardly in any doubt, putting Liverpool at a heavy disadvantage and setting things up such that they could lose the race for Brandt before even really starting.