Atlético de Madrid are targeting Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Julian Brandt on a free transfer this summer, according to Marca duo David Medina and Isaac Suárez, as the club sees the Germany international as a replacement for the outgoing Antonie Griezmann.
Per Medina and Suarez, Atlético are “leading the race” to sign Brandt, who will leave Dortmund when his contract expires in June. Sporting director Mateu Alemany is said to be spearheading the push for Brandt; Arsenal, set to face Atleti
in the UEFA Champions League semifinals next week, reportedly are pursuing the 29-year-old as well.
Brandt is a versatile right-footed attacker who can play in midfield or on either wing. He has scored seven goals and provided three assists across 1,364 minutes in the Bundesliga this season, while adding four more goals between the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League.
However, Brandt this season has lost his place as a starter under head coach Niko Kovač. DAZN’s German football expert Andrés Weiss called him “the definition of inconsistency and frustration” in the two seasons since he helped Dortmund reach the Champions League final in 2024.
There’s no doubt that Brandt is a good player. He is a quality finisher (11 goals this season) and a crafty playmaker who provided 15 assists between the Bundesliga and the Champions League last season. But selling him as the replacement for Griezmann — the club’s all-time top scorer and one of its biggest legends — seems foolish to me.
Now, if Alemany wants to sign Brandt to replace Thiago Almada and compete with Álex Baena, that would be a fairly smart play. Neither Baena nor Almada has been able to assert himself as a starter due to injuries and inconsistent performances; Almada was sent off in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss at Elche, while Baena endured a frustrating hour before he was substituted.
