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Julian Brandt staying at Leverkusen as he targets 2018 World Cup spot

Julian Brandt, who has been linked with Bayern Munich and Liverpool, has told German magazine Focus he is set to stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season.

Brandt, 21, said he wanted to stay at the club and play as much as possible next season as he targets a place in the Germany squad for the 2018 World Cup.

The forward joined Leverkusen in 2013 and has made 96 Bundesliga appearances along with 24 in the Champions League and six in the Europa League.

He said: "If you make the move, there is no guarantee that you'll play, and I believe that it's important that I get a lot of games next season, and that is a given here at Leverkusen."

However, his father and agent Jurgen, speaking to Funke Media, did not rule out a future move and said: "A few weeks ago, it was said that Julian agreed to join Bayern. That was not true.

"And it's also not true that my son has now turned down Bayern."

He added that Brandt had received several offers from both the Bundesliga and other leagues but added: "If he's of the opinion that Leverkusen's the best choice for him, we could even extend the contract this summer."