Aston Villa make contact to sign attacking midfielder who’s ‘determined’ to leave UCL side
Gio Reyna and Donyell Malen in training with Borussia Dortmund
Aston Villa have joined what is quickly becoming a crowded race to take Giovanni Reyna away from Borussia Dortmund, according to reports.
Borussia Dortmund are the only club Reyna has represented at senior level so far, but that could be about to change. Recently, ESPN claimed he was ‘determined’ to leave the Bundesliga side because of his lack of starting opportunities.
Reyna’s father Claudio and agent Jorge Mendes are already on the lookout for clubs who could offer the 21-year-old the next step.
It was suggested that Borussia Dortmund could let him leave for €15m (£12.9m) or that his next move might be a loan away from them.
At the time, the clubs being offered Reyna’s services were said to be Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Marseille, Monaco, Lyon, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Villarreal and Benfica.
An update from Football Transfers has, however, revealed that Aston Villa have initiated their own interest in the USMNT star.
And rather than it being a case of Reyna being offered to them, it is implied that Villa were the ones to make contact with Dortmund to ask about a deal.
Monchi’s transfer team have supposedly asked about the costs associated with signing Reyna, who is only under contract in Germany until the end of next season.
Villa have received encouragement about Reyna’s potential availability, especially after Dortmund took Jadon Sancho back on loan from Manchester United.
Reyna can play on either wing or in a central attacking midfield position. On one hand, it has led to him failing to nail down a role of his own for Dortmund. On the other hand, it means he could be useful to Villa in a number of ways.
Could Reyna replace Emery outcast Traore?
Unai Emery is preparing his side for a second half of the season that will include competing for a top-four finish and involvement in the knockout phase of the Europa Conference League, which means he will still be wanting a deep squad.
On the wings, he has openly admitted to being ready to offload Bertrand Traore, which may open up a vacancy for him to fill with someone more reliable.
In theory, Reyna could arrive to replenish the ranks after his 119 appearances and 17 goals for Dortmund.
This season, he has failed to make a goal contribution from 12 appearances, but only two of those have been as a starter and neither of them lasted the full 90 minutes.
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