As Julian Brandt continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal, it is hard not to cast your mind back to the moment when he nearly became a Liverpool player.
German international Brandt is among the players tipped to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season. Marco Rose's side are a distant second in the Bundesliga, and were knocked out of the Europa League by Rangers after finishing third in their Champions League group.
Arsenal were reportedly interested in the 26-year-old back in January. However, if Jurgen Klopp had got his way back in 2017, Brandt might have become a Liverpool recruit... and Mohamed Salah might have stayed at Roma.
To mark Brandt's 26th birthday, Mirror Football looks at the moments which have helped define the German's career. Not to mention how his own progress has impacted the careers of those around him.
Like a number of Arsenal targets over the years, including current star Martin Odegaard, Brandt burst onto the scene as a teenager before maturing into a top player. He made his Bayer Leverkusen debut before the age of 18, having commanded a six-figure fee from Wolfsburg, and was linked with Manchester United and Chelsea after bursting onto the scene with the Bundesliga side.
He made his senior debut under former Liverpool star Sami Hyypia, and the Finn also gave a 17-year-old Brandt a Champions League bow against Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool themselves took a look at the player before the end of the 2013-14 season, with then-manager Brendan Rodgers watching the youngster score his first Leverkusen goal against Hamburg.
Rodgers wasn't his only fan, though. And in 2017, when Klopp looked to strengthen his Reds squad after qualifying for the Champions League, he had to be talked out of a move for the German.
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By 2017, Brandt had gone onto bigger and better things without leaving the BayArena. A first ever 10-goal season for Leverkusen had brought him a Germany debut in the lead-up to Euro 2016, and he was part of the Olympic squad narrowly beaten to the gold medal by hosts Brazil just months later.
The 2016-17 season wasn't as fruitful in front of goal. However, it featured more minutes under Jogi Low and a first senior international goal in a post-season World Cup qualifier against San Marino.
Klopp was still keen, as were Bayern Munich. However, the player kept his cards close to his chest.
“I would not be scared to dismiss Bayern for a second time,” Brandt told Bild during the 2016-17 season. “The same goes for other clubs too.”
Klopp made his preference for Brandt known, according to The Times. However, the Reds' recruitment team were able to convince Klopp to move for Salah instead.
Ultimately, Brandt decided to stay with Leverkusen, believing the decision would help his case for a spot in Germany's World Cup squad in 2018. He was proved right, earning minutes in all three group games in Russia, but the holders were sent home early after losing to Mexico and South Korea.
"My gut feeling and my head are telling me the time to move has not arrived yet. I have to straighten things out in Leverkusen," Brandt told kicker in 2017.
“Of course there are players who say a year without European football before the World Cup is good reason to move. But if you move to a bigger club a year before the World Cup, you risk taking time at first to settle which possibly means playing fewer games."
While the goals scored by Salah in the 2017-18 season left Liverpool in no doubt that they'd signed the right man, Brandt also enjoyed a career-best campaign in front of goal. He followed his 12 goals that season with 10 the following year - plus 11 assists in the Bundesliga - and that was enough for Dortmund to spend a reported £22m to bring him to Signal Iduna Park.
"In the case of Borussia Dortmund, I have a very good feeling," said Brandt, who joined the club after Christian Pulisic's move to Chelsea. "One of the main reasons for my change is that BVB narrowly missed the title last season, so there is room for improvement and I am very excited about the boys."
Dortmund were unable to close the gap to Bayern Munich in Brandt's first two seasons, finishing second and third. They're back up to second this season under Rose, but the winger - who has also featured in midfield - could yet leave BVB.
When Arsenal's permanent move for Martin Odegaard was still hanging in the balance, Brandt had emerged as a potential alternative. Gunners keeper Bernd Leno even admitted to texting back and forth with his compatriot after the pair spent time together in Leverkusen.
“I read the rumours with Arsenal and wrote him a few messages right away," Leno told Sport 1 in 2021. "I don’t know what is really there, but I would be happy if he would come.
“Julian is a good friend, we had a very good time in Leverkusen and privately we were often out for beers. Maybe we can experience that again in the future. He’s also invited to my wedding next year.”
Ultimately, there was a way for Arsenal to clinch a permanent deal for Odegaard. Still, despite the Norwegian's impressive start, the links with Brandt remain.
Considering the alternative, Liverpool can't feel too upset about failing to get a Brandt deal over the line. However, things could yet be different for Mikel Arteta's team.
