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Giovanni Reyna – could Borussia Dortmund offload him before the FIFA Club World Cup?
Borussia Dortmund may have put a disappointing season behind them by securing a place in next season's Champions League, but they are now aiming to defy the odds and go all the way in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
There has been talk of an incoming overhaul to Niko Kovac’s squad and much of the speculation has centred on the future of USA playmaker Giovanni Reyna.
The son of former Sunderland midfielder Claudio Reyna has, along with Marcel Sabitzer, been linked with an end-of-season exit from the Signal Iduna Park.
Reyna, 22, has one year remaining on his contract at BVB and clubs in Spain, Italy and France are reportedly interested, including Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Will Reyna be shown the door before Dortmund head to his native US for the Club World Cup?
Or could he use the tournament to prove that he deserves a chance to stay and play a part in the rebuild under Kovac?
BVB have been pitted in Group F with Brazilian side Fluminese, South Korean outfit Ulsan HD and South African team Mamelodi Sundowns.
Recurring injury problems have undeniably hampered Reyna’s progress in recent seasons and led to a struggle for form.
It has been a far cry from those happier times earlier in his career.
After spending time in the youth ranks of his hometown club, New York City, Sunderland-born Reyna moved to Germany to join Dortmund’s academy in 2019.
His senior debut followed in January 2020 and he became the youngest American, aged 17 years and 66 days, to appear in the Bundesliga, breaking a record previously set by Christian Pulisic.
Reyna and Erling Haaland starred together for Dortmund in the 2020-21 campaign and formed a hugely successful partnership.
The Norwegian striker famously called Reyna ‘The American Dream’, which said much for the strength of their on-field bond.
When Haaland left Dortmund to join Manchester City in the summer of 2022, he came up against Reyna twice when the sides met in the Champions League group stage in the early weeks of the 2022-23 campaign.
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The following season saw Reyna sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest to play in the Premier League.
He moved to the City Ground in January 2024 but his time there could certainly not be described as a success.
Reyna racked up just 230 minutes in nine Premier League appearances and made just two starts. He headed back to Dortmund at the end of the season with much to think about.
Reyna has not been a regular starter for Kovac’s side this term and has often warmed the bench without being called upon during games.
Dortmund will almost certainly demand a fee for Reyna should they allow him to leave.
And yet Reyna has the talent to emerge from the shadows and force his way back into Dortmund’s plans.
Whether or not he will be afforded that opportunity remains to be seen as the Club World Cup comes into sharp focus.
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