Nottingham Forest are close to completing a loan signing for Borussia Dortmund striker Joe Reyna for the remainder of the season. According to Sport, American international Reina flew to England on Wednesday to complete the deal, while the two clubs are in talks over a possible fee to turn the deal into a permanent transfer at the end of the season. Following Reina's move from Wasserman to Jorge Mendes' agency Gestifute earlier this month, there was a lot of speculation that Reyna could leave Borussia Dortmund. Soon, Reyna was rumoured to eight different clubs, including Premier League teams Wolves and Forest.
However, signing Reina was not an easy one for the Nottingham-based club. Premier League teams are currently under financial fair play investigation and could be penalised by points deductions if found guilty. As a result, signing new players is a tricky task for the club, which is why Forest are looking to a deal to loan Reina until the summer with a purchase option. The deal would be in the interests of Reina's new agent, Mendes, who has a significant presence at Forest. Mendes not only represented head coach Nuno Espiritu Santo, but also assisted Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in the purchase of Portuguese club Rio Ave. Therefore, the move to push Reina towards the Forest makes sense, considering Real Sociedad have moved on to other potential targets.
Why would Dortmund **Joe Renner?
Despite Joe Renner's limited playing time and the introduction of Jadon Sancho this winter, Renner is still considered a talented player with huge potential for Borussia Dortmund. After all, Dortmund have been doing everything they can to protect Reina after their disagreements with U.S. men's head coach Greg Berhalt and the Reina family, as well as after the 2022 World Cup. The club went out of their way to emphasise that Reyna had been working hard with the team and that there were no disciplinary issues.
Still, there have been some setbacks in the Black and Yellow in recent months. While Reina's playing time under Edin Terzic has been limited, there is a feeling that the likes of Moukoko and Baino Gittens have had a greater impact when they come off the bench in recent games. Despite Reina's somewhat lacking attitude, Moukoko excelled in the Bundesliga after the winter break. Dortmund hope Reyna will react similarly.
Does that mean Dortmund are willing to take any *** Reina? Not necessarily. Although Reina's market value has dropped from €42 million to €20 million over the past two years, Dortmund still see the 21-year-old as a valuable asset, especially given the upcoming 2026 North American World Cup. In addition, the impact of the pandemic and lack of spectators has already hurt the club's finances, and Dortmund are hoping to make a decent transfer profit through Reina.
Reyna joins Nottingham Forest - The American national team star is eager to leave Borussia Dortmund.
What does Reyna want? One thing is certain: the Reyna camp, led by the Reyna family, is unhappy with the playing time that the 21-year-old has been given this season. Reyna have earned a total of 337 minutes of playing time in all competitions. The lack of playing time is a real concern, and the Edin Terzic manager doesn't seem to trust Reyna to deliver attacking impact from the start.
In addition, the attacking midfielder has had the ability to be an impact substitute in the past, but Reina's body language has been lacking this season. Finally, with Borussia Dortmund bringing Jadon Sancho on loan in January, signs of the future may indeed be indicative of a need for change for all involved. There is no doubt that a transfer could be just what Reyna needs to rekindle their talent. An attacking midfielder with excellent organisational skills, Reyna plays best with a big centre-forward, just as Erling Holland did when he was still at the club. What does this look like in terms of data? We need to look back to the 2020 '21 season, when Reyna was at the peak of his time for the Dark and Yellow. That season, the attacking midfielder scored four goals and provided seven assists in 32 Bundesliga games, making him one of the best attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga.