Leverkusen's Julian Brandt Downplays Liverpool, Juventus Transfer Rumours

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Julian Brandt has downplayed exit speculation involving Juventus and Liverpool, saying he's enjoying himself at his current club.

The 23-year-old gave an interview to the Bundesliga's official website (h/t Goal's Chris Burton), saying he's focused on the 2018-19 campaign for now: "I'm enjoying myself. I've got a contract with Bayer until 2021, so right now all is well. As things stand, I'm staying put. I just want to end the season as best we can."

Sports writer Manuel Veth believes the player meant he'll stay at Leverkusen if they can secure UEFA Champions League football for next year:

With two Bundesliga matches left to play, Leverkusen are tied with Eintracht Frankfurt for the final Champions League ticket. Frankfurt are winless in their last four matches and still have Bayern Munich on the schedule.

Per Goal's Ronan Murphy, there have been more rumours involving Brandt, with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund seen as possible destinations:

He also noted Sport Bild have reported Leverkusen are set to buy Hoffenheim's Kerem Demirbay, a possible replacement for Brandt:

The Germany international made his Bundesliga debut with Leverkusen in 2014 and has been regarded as one of the top young players in Germany ever since.

Known for his versatility and well-rounded attacking game, he can play as an attacking midfielder or on either wing and can even drop further back into midfield.

He has tremendous passing range and has racked up 11 assists in the Bundesliga this season. Some of those passes have been of exceptional quality:

Brandt has also scored six goals in the competition and seems more than ready for the move to a top club.

Juventus, in particular, could use a player like Brandt, as they lacked creativity throughout the season and were hampered by poor midfield play in their doomed Champions League campaign.

Brandt's passing ability is reminiscent of that of Miralem Pjanic, who refused to rule out a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in a recent interview with Canal+ (h/t Italian Football TV):

Liverpool have less of a need for creativity but are expected to add to their depth going into next season. Brandt's versatility would make him a great option, as he could replace Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane out wide if they needed a breather or slide into a central role when both are in the starting XI.