Why Raheem Sterling Would Be Better for Bayern's Marketing Than Marco Reus

On Tuesday, German source Bild (h/t Daily Mail) broke some exciting news for Bayern Munich fans, that the Bundesliga giants would pursue Raheem Sterling should they fail to land Marco Reus next summer.

It's no secret that Bayern, despite any public statements, are interested in signing Reus. CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge controversially revealed the 25-year-old's release clause to Sport Bild (h/t ESPN) in August and in October opined to Sport1 (h/t Goal.com) that his club were "obliged" to consider his possible signing.

Translation: Bayern were pursuing Reus but at the time weren't far enough in the process to publicly confirm, maintaining plausible deniability.

The possibility of Reus turning down a move to Bayern is entirely real, especially considering his being born and raised in Dortmund and the previous transfers of BVB players Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to Munich. There is pressure for him to find another destination.

According to Daily Mail's follow-up of the Bild report, Sterling is a real possibility for Bayern. Although his contract runs until 2017, Liverpool's struggles and an insufficient contract offer (via The Independent) apparently have led the player to reject the Merseyside club's attempts to secure his signature on a long-term deal.

Although a very different player, Sterling would have one big advantage over Reus: On a number of levels, he'd be a perfect tool for marketing.

Due to high demand for domestic players and a willingness and ability to pay them high salaries, English clubs rarely export their best talents. Bayern are one of the few international clubs that could sign a player like Sterling. And if they were to do so, they'd have a great chance to increase their recognition in England.

Many fans of English football look down on the Bundesliga for its lack of competitiveness. The Premier League has had three champions in the last five years, three of which have been decided by two or fewer points. If Bayern buy Reus, it will be more of the same: Another elite player whom Bayern poached from a powerless Bundesliga team.

Many Bayern fans like to assert that the hegemony of the German top flight is not their problem, but fact is fact: The league is noncompetitive at the top and marketability among English football fans in particular is very low.

There are still very many who believe that a player can only prove his class by competing in the Premier League, that winning the Bundesliga or Serie A by a landslide every season is enough to discredit a star player's performances.

Without intentionally sacrificing quality to narrow the gap, the best way for Bayern to draw interest from Premier League supporters would be to sign one of England's biggest rising stars. Sterling fits the bill quite well.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

England itself is far from being the world's largest market, but the Premier League's influence extends around the world. The English top flight has done brilliantly well to market itself, especially in Asia—where Bayern have also aimed to increase their popularity as of late through pre-season tours, signing business partnerships and even opening an office in China—and boasts the world's biggest and most evenly distributed (see embedded Tweet above) TV revenue deal.

Signing Sterling would come with a risk that the player may not succeed in Munich, at least not in the immediate as he adapts to a new league and culture. But Gotze still isn't at his best after nearly 18 months at the Allianz Arena, and Lewandowski has also had teething problems, so there's no guarantee that Reus wouldn't need a year or more to settle either.

Now 20 years of age, Sterling is the same age as Gotze was when he decided to join Bayern. And although less experienced in the Champions League, he will have had plenty of playing time in a competitive Premier League under his belt before joining Munich should he transfer next summer.

Reus may be a more certain bet on a sporting level, but Sterling has the potential to equal or even exceed the German in the next few years and at the very least is currently a better buy from a marketing standpoint.

Not bad for a "plan B."

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