Dortmund extend contract of Julian Brandt to 2026

Borussia Dortmund have extended the contract of midfielder Julian Brandt until 2026, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.

The German international's previous deal expired in 2024 and he now signed a two-year extension.

"Julian had a great development over the past year. He plays a very important role in our planning and we're happy that he decided to continue shaping Borussia Dortmund's sporting future as a leading player," sporting director Sebastian Kehl said.

Brandt has played a major role in Dortmund's strong run since the league restart in January. Dortmund are two points behind champions Bayern Munich in the league.

He joined Dortmund from Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 and has since had 120 Bundesliga games, scoring 23 goals and serving 22 assists. In the Champions League, he played 27 matches, with three goals and four assists.

"After four years, I still have a lot of fun every single day being part of this team, being on the pitch with these guys and playing football for this highly emotional club with its extraordinary fans," Brandt said.

Kehl said that "we're now entering a phase in which we will make and announce personnel decisions step by step. Julian's extension is a first step."

Recent reports said that captain Marco Reus would get a one-year renewal until 2024, and the WAZ paper said on Tuesday that Dortmund have offered a new contract to defender Mats Hummels, also over one year and like Reus with a pay cut.

Reus' extension, however, is a formality, while Hummels hasn't yet decided whether he wants to stay at the club, the Bild newspaper said.

Hummels played for Dortmund from 2008 to 2016, and again since 2019 after three years at Bayern. At the moment he is the third option as centre-back behind Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck.