Manchester City remain outsiders for Borussia Dortmund star

Only the most remote of Manchester City fans would have failed to see stories linking the club with a move for Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus in the summer amid rumours of a buyout clause in his BVB contract.

But for all the talk surrounding the German, Ladbrokes remains largely unconvinced that the 25-year-old will be moving to the Etihad any time soon, with the bookmaker pricing the forward up at 4/1 to move to Eastlands next.

Much of the current talk surrounding the star has focused on the rumoured buyout fee, with reports claiming it could be anywhere between £20m and £29.4m, depending on who you want to believe.

But one of the biggest stumbling blocks to any City bid comes in the form of their familiar Champions League foes Bayern Munich, who are thought to be desperate to bring the striker to the Allianz Arena.

Reus was doing the rounds on social media over the weekend after seemingly refusing a hug from former teammate and current Bavarian favourite Robert Lewandowski, who swapped Dortmund for Bayern over the summer, in the wake of their 2-1 loss to the Bundesliga leaders.

The Pole is not the first of Jurgen Klopp’s much-heralded stable to make the controversial switch, with Mario Gotze setting the tone with his move between the clubs two seasons back.

And for all Reus’ posturing, when it comes to the crunch, the ex-Gladbach man could find it difficult to turn down Bayern in what is fast becoming a painful indictment on the German domestic game.

After all, the Bavarians can outspend all before them in the Bundesliga, meaning they can offer Reus a bumper contract as well as the chance to win multiple titles under Pep Guardiola – one of the most revered managers in world football.

It goes beyond club football too, with regular appearances for Bayern often equating to an extended stay in the German national team.

At the time of the match, six of Die Mannschaft’s starting 11 in the World Cup final came from the Munich club and while Reus enjoys regular game time under Joachim Loew, a move to the Allianz could cement his place in the first-team.

Manchester City, meanwhile, hardly boast a great record when it comes to nurturing young German talent, having previously let Jerome Boateng slip through their fingers.

In the end it could come down to how much Reus cares about club loyalty and how much City are willing to offer the striker in terms of wages.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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