Sky Sports reports Brentford have begun discussions with Kevin Schade's representatives as the 23-year-old enters the final two years of his deal; Arsenal and Liverpool are monitoring.
Brentford have opened contract talks with Kevin Schade as Arsenal and Liverpool monitor the 23-year-old German winger, according to Sky Sports.
Schade has scored three times this season, with Brentford sitting fourth in the Premier League. He has two years remaining on the contract he signed when he joined from Freiburg for £20m in June 2023, and Sky Sports reports the west London club have begun discussions with his representatives. The same report places Arsenal and Liverpool among the clubs tracking the situation.
Liverpool's interest was first flagged in BBC Sport's Thursday gossip column, which named the German winger as a possible attacking addition at Anfield. ESPN's transfer watch has also linked Arsenal and Liverpool to the player. No formal approach has been lodged and no fee has been disclosed by any of the interested clubs.
Brentford's preference, based on the structure of the talks, is to extend rather than sell. The alternative — a sale in the next 12 months — would be conducted on the club's terms. The 23-year-old has played a wide role in a Brentford side that has not relied on a single goalscorer, with his three goals coming in a team that is outperforming expectations at the top end of the table. The numbers and the league position explain the interest from above.
For Liverpool, Schade fits a recruitment pattern that has favoured attackers with resale value and a defined role. The German would arrive as depth and competition in the wide areas, providing a different profile to the existing options. For Arsenal, the profile offers cover and competition on the flanks, and a player capable of stretching a defence. Both clubs have the spending capacity to act in January if Brentford decide to sell, and both have a track record of moving early when a contract situation becomes favourable. The fee for a winger with two years to run would sit comfortably within either club's January budget.
The market is not on Brentford's side. A winger entering the final 12 months of his deal loses a meaningful share of his value, and the player gains leverage. Brentford's recruitment team will want to lock in terms before next summer, when Schade would have a year to run. The alternative is a January sale at a controlled price, or a 2026 exit on a much-reduced fee. Either outcome would still represent a significant profit on the £20m paid to Freiburg in 2023.
Brentford's timing on the contract talks is deliberate. Opening discussions now gives the club two transfer windows — January and next summer — to either finalise an extension or execute a sale. The longer the talks run without a deal, the more the price-tag compresses. The club has used similar timing before, opening talks early to either secure a player's future or set a clear market for the next window.
No bid is on the table. No player has asked to leave. The file is a contract situation two top-four clubs are watching closely, and a player whose form has put him on a shortlist he would not have been on 12 months ago.
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