Newcastle set to miss out on ‘very important’ 27-year-old after sporting director rules out sale

Borussia Dortmund's sporting director has laid down the law ruling out a move for Newcastle United target.

It was recently reported that Newcastle had joined Arsenal and Liverpool in an interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt.

The report came soon after Brandt scored Dortmund's second goal of the evening condemning Newcastle to their second Champions League defeat to the German side this season.

Julian Brandt signed a new contract with BVB in April

Now, a report from German outlet Bild (via HITC) has run a quote from Dortmund's sporting director Sebastian Kehl that pretty much puts an end to any thoughts of Newcastle picking up the 27-year-old in January.

Simon Hofmann via DFL

“We didn’t extend Julian Brandt’s contract until 2026 in April for nothing. He is a very important part of our team.

“That’s why a transfer is absolutely out of the question!”

Brandt feels more like a summer transfer than a January acquisition

That sounds pretty definitive, although these kinds of statements come out all the time and then the player moves anyway.

We never really saw Brandt as a January target given the form he's in right now for BVB. Only if Dortmund dropped out of the Champions League would a January move make sense.

Perhaps Kehl's stance will have softened come summer and Newcastle could make their move then.