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Leeds United may now be able to pursue the free transfer signing of Julian Brandt without any competition.

Leeds United have moved one step nearer to securing the arrival of German international midfielder Julian Brandt.

The Whites are eager to make the 30-year-old former Borussia Dortmund midfielder their latest signing of the summer.

The club have already brought in Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson from Sassuolo and Fulham, respectively, but they are also targeting the ambitious capture of Brandt, who has 48 caps for his country.

Dortmund said goodbye to Brandt earlier this summer after seven years at the club, having earlier come through at fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

He made 307 appearances for Dortmund, scoring 57 goals and providing 70 assists in all competitions.

Leeds are believed to be the leading contenders for the midfielder's signature, and he is reportedly open to the idea of playing in the Premier League at this stage of his career.

Brandt's entire club career has been spent in Germany, apart from his appearances for the national team and in European competition, where he has a lot of experience with just under 100 outings in the Champions League and Europa League.

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Dutch giants Ajax have also been linked with a move for Brandt this summer, along with several other top European clubs, all of whom could offer continental football in some form.

Leeds, however, hold the advantage of Premier League football, which remains the division most players want to play in, for both competitive and financial reasons.

Last summer, Leeds convinced Dominic Calvert-Lewin to reject offers from clubs playing in Europe so that he could link up with Daniel Farke at Elland Road. Brandt could now do the same after the latest transfer development.

Ajax seem to have agreed to use a big part of their transfer budget on a centre-forward, which has reduced their ability to be as competitive in contract talks with Brandt.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare is reportedly close to joining the Amsterdam club after a dressing room fallout at Molineux and could eventually cost €22 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The deal is said to be a loan with an option to buy, which means Ajax may still be able to afford Brandt this summer. However, their spending power would be reduced in contract negotiations because Arokodare's Wolves wages would be fully covered.

If Brandt does complete a move to Elland Road, he would join fellow German internationals Lukas Nmecha and Anton Stach, along with manager Farke and his largely German backroom staff.