Former Borussia Dortmund ace has officially joined Dutch giants Ajax on a free transfer. The Eredivisie side announced his arrival on their official X handle by sharing a photo of the German in their fabled red and white colors with the caption "Welcome to Ajax, Julian Brandt".
De Godenzonen were locked in a race for his signatures with Premier League side Leeds United, who were even considered ahead of them for having tabled a three-year contract for the 30-year-old but Brandt has now committed his future to Ajax instead.
He has signed a three-year contract with the club that keeps him in Amsterdam until June 2029, becoming their fifth acquisition of the summer after Tolu Arokodare, Marcos Leonardo, Caio Henrique and returning hero Daley Blind.
In his first interview with the club since completing the move, Brandt said:
""The surprise may have been bigger for you than for me, but the past few days have been exciting. I’m happy to be here now.""
Jordi Cryuff, the technical director of Ajax, revealed that they had been in talks with the player for several months and were delighted to see Brandt pick them over the other interested parties.
""Julian has chosen Ajax, and we are absolutely delighted about that. We have been in talks for several months, and he also had the opportunity to sign for other clubs. With Julian, we are bringing in a top international player with a wealth of experience and a fantastic mentality. I am convinced he will add real quality to our squad.""
An attacking midfielder by trade, Brandt is now the ninth German player to represent Ajax with Diant Ramaj, Heiko Westermann and Amin Younes the ones to sign for them in the 21st century. But he will soon be joined by another compatriot as FC Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen is also going to join them soon after the goalkeeper agreed to rejoin his former coach Michel.
Having emerged as one of Europe's brightest young talents at Bayer Leverkusen, Brandt joined Dortmund in 2019 for €25million and over the next seven years, spearheaded their creative mantle with aplomb. He made 307 appearances for the club and contributed the most goals during this time frame with 124, scoring 57 and assisting another 67, also the highest by any BVB star.
Furthermore, the Germany international made the fourth-most assists by any player in the Bundesliga during his time with the Signal Iduna Park outfit by registering 50 while creating the third highest number of chances from open play at 265.
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