Barcelona Transfer News: Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan Eyed Amid Liverpool Rumours

Barcelona are reportedly keen on two of Borussia Dortmund’s key men in Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan, but they may have to fight off interest from Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp if they’re to land the pair.

Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football-Espana) claims Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez has drawn up a couple of shortlists for summer transfer targets, and Reus appears on the one that includes “premium” options. Le 10 Sport (h/t Will Giles of Metro) claims Liverpool are also interested in the winger.

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It’s noted by Football-Espana that although a new contract signed by Reus last season saw a previous €25 million (£18.53 million) release clause abolished, a fee in the same sort of region could be enough for BVB to cash in on the winger. Here’s a look at why landing Reus for that amount would represent a major bargain:

The Germany international is a tremendous talent and a player who would be a capable replacement for Pedro, who was sold to Chelsea in the summer. Reus is a wide forward who loves to drift inside, take shots and get on the end of crosses in the middle. For Barcelona, he’d be a perfect acquisition.

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The worry for Reus would be that if he did arrive at the club, where would he fit into the starting XI? After all, Barcelona are synonymous with the 4-3-3 system and currently occupying those spots up front are Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. As wonderful as the Dortmund man is, dislodging any of those would be a difficult challenge.

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez thinks a change of system may be in order should Reus end up at the Camp Nou:

If Reus was to leave his beloved Dortmund, then you suspect it’d have to be for a team with the gravitas of Barcelona. But there would surely be underlying concerns about cementing a place in the starting XI with so much attacking quality within their ranks already.

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Barcelona arguably have more important areas of the team to bolster anyway, most notably in midfield. It makes the prospect of a reported move for Gundogan an intriguing one, but according to Le 10 Sport (h/t Giles), again, the Blaugrana will have to battle with Liverpool if they want to bring the midfielder to Catalonia.

With Xavi moved on and Rafinha suffering with a long-term injury, the Blaugrana could definitely do with some midfield reinforcements. Here’s a look at what Gundogan would potentially offer either side when he’s at full tilt:

Encouragingly for the Dortmund man, he does seem to be back at a level approaching his very best after some rotten luck with injuries. A move to either Liverpool, where he could link up with the manager who made him a tremendous player, or European champions Barcelona would surely appeal to him as well.

As we can see here courtesy of OptaFranz, the Germany international is the player who made Dortmund tick under the tutelage of Klopp:

The chance for both of these players to play under Klopp at a rejuvenated Liverpool would be tantalising. After all, the German manager did so much to help each of them develop and become world-class performers in their respective positions. Still, Barcelona is Barcelona, and when they come calling, it’s tough to turn them down.

As such, if the Blaugrana are keen on signing the pair and enter into negotiations with Dortmund, they’d definitely be the favourites to get them on board.

However, with Thomas Tuchel seemingly getting BVB back on the right track again this season, you suspect the Bundesliga side will not be willing to sell two of their key assets.