EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa enquire over Reyna at bargain price

Steve Kay

• Updated: 17 Jan 2024 22:22 GMT
• 3 min read

Aston Villa have joined the numerous clubs who have enquired to Borussia Dortmund over the potential signing of USMNT star Giovanni Reyna, FootballTransfers can reveal.

Once considered one of the hottest up-and-coming prospects in world football, Reyna has been little more than a replacement for Dortmund this season and has featured only on 12 occasions without scoring a goal or generating an assist.

Across all competitions, he has started just twice this season and has only played more than a half once.

Reyna is, therefore, available for sale, with Villa considering the prospect of signing a 21-year-old who scored seven Bundesliga goals in just 609 minutes of action last season.

The player, who is under contract with Dortmund until 2025, is “determined” to leave the club, according to a report from ESPN and would only cost €15-20 million.

Numerous clubs have already been linked with Reyna this January, with Nottingham Forest and Wolves fellow Premier League clubs associated with the player, whose agent Jorge Mendes has links to both.

But there is the possibility that the England-born player remains in Europe, where Marseille, Sevilla and Real Sociedad have also been linked with a possible deal.

A January transfer is not ruled out, with the arrival of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United reducing his prospects of game time.

Dortmund hint Reyna can go

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has previously admitted that the attacking midfielder is unsettled but has said that he must take responsibility for improving his own level.

“Gio had a difficult time and was often injured. It's not easy because of the line-up we have in the middle,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I can understand that he may be dissatisfied at the moment. But it's also important for him to step on the gas.”

Reyna has seen his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) fall from a peak of over €50m a couple of year ago to around €24m now, which suggests that Dortmund’s asking price is something of a bargain.

According to data analytics firm SciSports, Reyna has the potential to become a key player at Villa.