Manchester City Transfer Rumours: Marco Reus on City's Radar for Next Summer

Manchester City's transfer dealings may well be done and dusted, given that the window has slammed shut for the summer. However, all that means is that the media can start speculating on what might happen in upcoming transfer periods.

And given the latest major rumour, they're in top form.

Paul Hetherington at the Daily Star wrote that City will battle with Arsenal in the chase for Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus. The brass at the Etihad Stadium, led by Txiki Begiristain, have the German star on the top of their wish list heading into next summer.

The report quotes a £25 million release clause in the 25-year-old's current contract with BVB, which is a fairly reasonable price for a player of his talent. Given his age, he would likely spend his best years in Manchester as he worked towards winning trophies and making Germany's squads for EURO 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

There are, of course, a number of key factors to look at when assessing how this rumoured transfer could work out.

Obviously, the first major factor is the price. The £25 million release clause would need to be met in order for City to bring Reus in, a figure that's well within City's budget. That budget, of course, will be much higher next summer as they'll be free from the restrictions of this past summer borne from Financial Fair Play.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Dortmund are certainly keen to hang on to their prized asset. But if they are resigned to losing him, they might be relieved by City taking him because it means it's not Bayern Munich doing it as they did with Mario Gotze two years ago. After Robert Lewandowski left on a free this summer, Jurgen Klopp certainly won't want to see all three of his former star attackers join his rivals.

Another factor that certainly must be considered by Begiristain and company is Reus' recent injury history.

Dortmund confirmed on Monday that their star player would be sidelined for four weeks after suffering an ankle injury on international duty over the weekend. This comes just three months after a partial tear of ligaments in the same left ankle cost him his spot in Germany's World Cup squad.

"

Terrible for Marco Reus: The BVB and Germany star had to be substituted off with another apparent injury https://t.co/4kjWi3Y0GQ

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) September 7, 2014"

While the relatively short duration of Reus' absence is a minor comfort, it's worrying that this is the second incidence of the same injury in a short time span. If City were to consider making this move, they'll need to keep an eye on his progress during and after his rehab period.

It would be a shame if a player as talented as Reus were to have his career stalled by a persistent injury bug.

A further question that would surround this move would be whether Reus is actually needed in a footballing sense.

He brings blistering pace and a legitimate goal threat from his usual left-wing position. City don't exactly have a player like that—Jesus Navas' pace is more used to beating defenders and whipping in his dizzying array of sublime passes.

However, Manuel Pellegrini fills his attacking midfield spots with the superb abilities of Samir Nasri and David Silva, plus a striker like Sergio Aguero if a two-striker formation is preferred. Silva is commonly used from the left since that favours his dominant left foot.

Perhaps the departure of Alvaro Negredo will lead to a turn towards using a single striker with the three midfield players noted above together in the formation. This would at least leave the extra slot available to fit a player like Reus in the fold, with Silva moving to a central position.

This would more than likely push Navas out of the picture. The former Sevilla man will turn 29 in November, meaning he could be turning towards the back end of his career. A younger, fresher face like Reus could take up his mantle for the long run.

Reus could also be needed long-term as a backup plan for the strike unit.

As David Lynch of Manchester Evening News (h/t B/R's Rob Pollard) noted, Stevan Jovetic has suffered another injury setback of his own. The Montenegrin spent much of last season out of the squad through injury, but had emerged as a key part of Pellegrini's setup this summer and through the first weeks of this season.

His blistering form could've been seen as a precursor to Negredo being offloaded. However, it was perhaps only a matter of time before the former Fiorentina man went down again, which now means City are a bit thin up top.

Aguero isn't exactly a picture of health, after all.

If City are to persist long-term with just Jovetic, Aguero and Edin Dzeko, having a dynamic talent like Reus at their disposal to shoulder the load at times could be invaluable.

In the end, there are a number of positives that could come from moving for Reus. He's cheap for such a high calibre player, is on the upswing of his career and provides a versatile attacking threat.

But his injury history must certainly give City brass pause for thought when pondering this move. Plus, they have to consider how to fit him into their already stacked rotation of stars.

This is definitely a story to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Share your thoughts on this potential transfer in the comments section.

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