La Liga giants enter four way tussle with Chelsea for German international

Barcelona have joined Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in pursuing Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt, according to Sport.

The Catalan publication say that the German international is on the La Liga side’s radar after impressing for both club and country over the past year.

Barca’s technical directors Robert Fernandez and Urbano Ortega were reportedly scouting Leverkusen’s draw 2-2 with Wolfsburg at the weekend to see Brandt in action.

So far this campaign, the 21 year old has made nine appearances for his club, scoring two goals and providing four assists. Chelsea have been tracking the winger since 2013 before he made the €350,000 switch from Wolfsburg to his current club.

The entrance of Barcelona into the race will certainly complicate things, but with the Catalan club having already splashed out on Ousmane Dembele over the summer to become part of a front three with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, it remains to be seen whether Brandt would be considered as merely as backup for the Frenchman, or as a genuine rival for a place in the starting eleven. If the former, the German may be keener on a transfer elsewhere.