Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Should Yield in January Battle for Marco Reus

Transfer bidding wars are something that top-tier clubs usually do their best to avoid being embroiled in.

When you have two illustrious, wealthy sides keen on the same player, that man's current club hold all the aces, and teams can end up paying stratospheric amounts for their target. When the player has a release clause that becomes active next summer—one that undermines his true market value—then the aforementioned issues become even more pertinent.

And that’s why Arsenal should avoid a transfer tug-of-war for Marco Reus in the January window. According to Vaishali Bhardwaj of Metro, the Gunners are keen on the Dortmund forward, but Manchester City are also working on a deal to bring the player to the Etihad in the new year.

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Here’s why Reus has caught the eye of two of Europe’s most illustrious teams:

The 25-year-old forward was linked with a move away from Borussia Dortmund throughout the summer, and with a rumoured release clause of £20 million set to become active at the end of this season, per Colin Harvey of the Daily Star, it would make financial sense for BVB to cash in on their player sooner rather than later.

But despite being stung in the summer by the departure of Robert Lewandowski—who allowed his contract to run down and signed for Bayern Munich—Jurgen Klopp has been boisterous when it comes to the sale of key players, and told Deutsche Presseagentur recently that he expects Reus to stick around with the Ruhr club for a long time (h/t Thomas Zocher of Sky Sports):

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I can tell you I have a great feeling regarding Marco Reus' future at Borussia Dortmund.

Marco will definitely be around at our club for quite a while.

"

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Given Dortmund’s firm stance when it comes to the sale of key players and the prospect of an auction with a club as wealthy as Manchester City, the Gunners should take a step back from this one and pursue other targets.

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That’s not to say Reus is not an excellent player—he most certainly is—but the coalescing of the aforementioned factors married with Arsenal’s current squad personnel wouldn’t make the German international a necessary purchase, rather a luxury one.

Arsene Wenger is well-stocked in attacking midfield—the role Reus typically operates in for Dortmund—with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey just a smattering of names capable of doing a fine job in that position.

In terms of centre-forwards too—a position Reus can also fill in—the Arsenal boss has put his faith in Danny Welbeck after a £16 million outlay.

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Of course, Reus would afford this Arsenal team a different facet to their attacking play; he’s a thrilling player to watch, capable of beating opponents, letting off blistering shots from distance and linking up with team-mates in tight areas.

WhoScored.com provides us with a succinct summation of the player's best attributes:

But at this juncture in Arsenal’s development, he’s just not needed. Especially not for an extortionate outlay, which is what the club could be paying should they lock horns with City in pursuit of his signature in the January window.

But given Dortmund’s previous standpoint on selling players—typically, they don’t—expect Reus to be at the Westfalenstadion until next summer at least.

If the release clause does then become active and Wenger does harbour a serious interest in the player, the Gunners boss should do all he can to ensure the club is the most attractive proposition possible for the Dortmund man.

With the club in dire need of defensive reinforcements and a midfielder to add some some steel to the middle of the pitch, as paradoxical as it might seem, steering clear of Reus in January and making Arsenal a much more rounded outfit instead looks as though it could be Arsenal’s best bet to expedite a potential move in the summer.