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Julian Brandt has explained why he decided to turn down interest from Liverpool and reaffirmed his commitment to Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

Jurgen Klopp was keen to sign the winger, who had been linked with a £25million move to Anfield.

However, Liverpool ended up setting their sights on Mohamed Salah instead after being informed last month that the Germany international intended to stay put.

The 21-year-old, who was also linked with Bayern Munich, didn’t want to risk seeing his game time reduced in the season building up to the World Cup.

Brandt says he also felt a duty to help Leverkusen get back on track following a dismal 12th placed finish in the Bundesliga which saw them miss out on European qualification.

“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.

“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.”