by Lewis Ambrose
€68M.
That’s £48M to you and I, and it is the amount the German newspaper Bild are reporting Arsenal will bid for Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus. Wenger has been a long-term admirer of Reus and is open to adding a world-class offensive player to his squad this season, so why not the German?
I will tell you why not. Reus could have been available for as little as £17.5M this summer but opted sign a new deal earlier this year, removing his old release clause and not having a new one put in the contract. He called Dortmund his home and his club, signalling his intent to remain at the club.
Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke revealed that Reus’ Dortmund contract sees him earn less money than he was offered elsewhere but the German international extended his contract nonetheless: money clearly isn’t his motivation.
Dortmund won’t play in the Champions League this season but he already knew that when he signed; the Bundesliga club were bottom of the league back in January.
There’s a reason nobody has approached Dortmund for Reus this summer and it is because there is no chance he is leaving.
On Tuesday his representatives released a statement saying he is ‘flattered’ by interest but has decided to stay in Dortmund.
Marco Reus’ agency SportsTotal were talking with @TUTTOJUVE_COM about some transfer rumours – here’s the answer. #bvbpic.twitter.com/b4GX2mPUea
— BL_Latest Transfers (@BL_LatestEN) July 28, 2015
Following that Dortmund said on Wednesday that the player is not leaving.
“Marco Reus will not leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. That’s a 100 percent certainty,”
Dortmund’s director of communications Sascha Fligge told ESPNFC.
So, there’s that. Next rumour, please.