Manchester City Transfer News: Marco Reus Targeted, Latest James Milner Rumours

Manchester City are reportedly confident of signing Borussia Dortmund superstar Marco Reus despite the interest in the German from a whole host of other top European clubs.

Reus' buyout clause is set to drop to €25 million (£19 million) in the summer, per Goal.com, a bargain price for a player of his quality.

As a result, he is being eyed by every top club in Europe, including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona and Premier League quartet Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, per Alex Harris in the Daily Star.

However, City boss Manuel Pellegrini is reportedly confident that he can win the race for the 25-year-old Reus' signature by offering "a deal worth around £200,000-a-week," per Jeremy Cross, also in the Daily Star.

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Reus is undoubtedly one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the world with an ability to create and score goals—he netted 16 times in the Bundesliga last season while assisting 13, per WhoScored.com.

Thus, it is unsurprising that he is so widely admired, and he is very unlikely now to continue at Dortmund past the summer as they will surely not be in the Champions League; they currently sit 17th in the Bundesliga after a torrid term.

It is most likely that City will move for Reus in the summer, although a January switch is a possibility, as discussed below by B/R UK's Alex Dimond and Ryan Bailey:

The signing of Reus would be an enormous coup for the Sky Blues, and he would undoubtedly add enormous strength to an attack that already includes the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and new arrival Wilfried Bony.

As Dimond mentions above, Reus' arrival would inevitably see the offloading of several players to balance the wage bill at Etihad Stadium with James Milner likely to move on.

The Englishman's contract expires at the season's end, and player and club are reportedly nowhere near agreeing on a new one with Milner weighing up options from Spain and Italy, per Stuart James in The Guardian.

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Liverpool and Arsenal are also reportedly interested in signing the 29-year-old Milner for free in the summer, per Richard Tanner in the Daily Express.

The former Leeds man joined City from Aston Villa in a £26 million deal in 2010 but has recently become something of a peripheral figure at the club.

Milner could command a starting place at a variety of other top clubs and is likely attracted to the potential of more first-team football, with The Guardian's Marcus Christenson suggesting he would be a top signing for a club like Arsenal:

It seems inevitable that Milner will leave City in the summer, and, with the potential arrival of Reus, it would be a good move for all involved.

With the quality the Sky Blues have in their squad, only the best players will get a regular first-team spot, and Milner would do well to look for opportunities elsewhere.