It Is Advantage Arsenal In Chase For Marco Reus’ Signature

The future of Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Marcos Reus was one of the sub plots of the build up to the match between Bayern Munich and Dortmund at the Allianz Arena last weekend. As a result of the soured relationship between both clubs, following the poaching of Dortmund players like Mario Goetze and Robert Lewondonski in the last two summer transfer windows. The bad blood between both sides resulted in the traditional pre match curtail between both clubs executives to be scrapped.

The Bayern Munich CEO Karl Heinz-Rummenigge had revealed the release clause of Marcos Reus in August, and went further to state that the Bavarians would be open to sign Marcos Reus because he is a player of quality. It was a statement that did not go down well with the Borussia Dortmund hierarchy.

The speculation prompted Marcos Reus to state before the match at the weekend which Dortmund lost, that “There are a lot of people talking about my future,” “Other people are thinking more about my future more than me.” he said.

With the relationship between the Bundesliga giants virtually non-existent, the future of Marcos Reus is increasingly looking like it is away from Germany. Bayern Munich are naturally the destination that the top players in the Bundesliga go to, but with Borussia Dortmund still in control of the player’s future even though his contract runs out in 2017, they are unlikely to sanction any move to Munich.

As a result of the present situation between both clubs, it strengthens Arsenal’s hand in the event that Arsene Wenger rekindles his interest in the 25 year old. The North London club has the financial power to match both his transfer fee and whatever wage demands that would come with it, and situations at play in other clubs could leave Arsenal as the main club that would go in for his signature.

As mentioned earlier, as a result of the bad blood between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Marcos Reus would not want to swap Dortmund for Munich when such opportunity arises out of respect for his present club. Although players can be unpredictable, he has gone on record in the past to state that he would not join Bayern Munich. And besides, Pep Guardiola might not need him. This is going by the statement the former Barcelona manager made when he told Bild before the German Super Cup in August, when he said “We have eight strikers-too many. I don’t need new players. I am delighted with this squad.”

Whether that position changes next summer remains to be seen, but it looks improbable at best.

Other leading clubs in Europe that would have likely gone in for him when he becomes available seem to be well stocked at the moment across the forward line. Barcelona spent £75 million on Luis Suarez this summer, and £65 million the previous summer to sign Neymar to complement Lionel Messi, and with the trio already established as the undisputed first choice, the Catalans do not need Reus in their squad. This rules them out of the possibility that they would sign the German international.

He has also been linked to Manchester United in the past. And going by the club’s signing this summer and earlier in January in bringing attacking players like Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Andre Herrera and Juan Mata, they might be looking to bolster other areas of the their squad, particularly as Louis Van Gaal is leaning towards giving the younger players more opportunities at Old Trafford. The club’s hierarchy might not look to sign a player they would struggle to fit into the line-up.

The other Premier League club that would be a possible destination is Liverpool. However, the Anfield outfit could look an unattractive proposition for Marco Reus.

This leaves Arsenal as the main destination for the German midfielder if these conjectures play out. There is a likelihood that Arsene Wenger could look to upgrade the left side of his midfield especially if Lukas Podolski leaves, and with Santi Cazorla misfiring at the moment, what are the chances that he would remain at the club for long? This is where Marcos Reus comes in. The presence of the German players at Arsenal could also be a key factor in any move. And Arsene Wenger’s ability to speak German could in the end be a deciding factor.