3 Possible Replacements When Borussia Dortmund Eventually Sell Marco Reus
When Marco Reus put pen to paper on a four-year contract extension in February, it put the ever-spinning wheel of transfer speculation surrounding the Borussia Dortmund man to a temporary end.
The club's official website quoted the attacking midfielder at the time: "I am delighted to commit my future to BVB. Dortmund is my home town and Borussia is my club."
Still, even the biggest romantic must realise Reus won't stay at the club forever. Despite an injury-plagued last one-and-a-half years, which saw the Germany international miss his country's World Cup-winning run in Brazil in 2014, Reus is still one of the most sought-after players in Europe.
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While Dortmund certainly hope they won't have to deal with a departure of their star man anytime soon, it never hurts to have contingency plans. With that in mind, here are three possible replacements for Reus.
The Internal Solution: Adnan Januzaj
Belgian starlet Adnan Januzaj is currently on loan at Dortmund from Manchester United. While he hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his first few weeks in Germany, he has hinted at his huge potential.
His best performance came in the 2-2 draw against Darmstadt. Substituted on for Reus at the hour mark, Januzaj helped turn the game around. His assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second strike of the day highlighted his individual quality.
With his back to the goal, his technical abilities allowed him to turn with the first touch of the ball. A lovely flick—helped on its way by a slight deflection—gave the Gabonese a finishing opportunity he couldn't miss.
He has a lot to learn, however. Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel doesn't fully trust Januzaj yet, often putting the Belgian in a forward position with Aubameyang switching to the right wing, where Januzaj ultimately should settle—especially if he is indeed to replace Marco Reus.
While the loan agreement with United doesn't include an option to buy Januzaj at the conclusion of this season, local paper Ruhrnachrichten reported there is a certain optimism around the club that the deal will be made permanent.
The Developmental Prospect: Andrija Zivkovic
Nineteen-year-old Serbia international Andrija Zivkovic would provide Dortmund with an intriguing developmental prospect on the wing. He would most likely not be an immediate replacement for Reus and rather come in a year early in anticipation of the German's departure.
Zivkovic recently single-handedly beat Augsburg in the Europa League with FC Partizan, scoring twice and assisting an Augsburg own goal, as the highlight video below shows.
His game is often likened to Arjen Robben's. While lofty praise such as that always needs to be taken with a grain of salt, it's easy to see the resemblance: Zivkovic loves cutting in from the right wing to take shots with his strong left foot.
The diminutive Serbian was an integral part of his country's FIFA U-20 World Cup winning team, providing the assist for Nemanja Maksimovic's goal in extra time to beat Brazil in the final. Outside of the Boot included Zivkovic in its team of the tournament.
Valued at just €4 million by Transfermarkt and out of contract at the end of this season, the opportunity for Dortmund to sign Zivkovic might never be better.
The Finished Product: Karim Bellarabi
If Dortmund were to look for a player to help right away whenever Reus leaves, they could well take a look at another Germany international. Signing Karim Bellarabi from Bayer Leverkusen would provide Dortmund with one of the Bundesliga's best dribblers. Weakening a direct opponent for the Champions League spots would be an additional bonus.
Like Reus, Bellarabi is excellent on the counter and can play all over the attack. Bleacher Report's Allan Jiang wrote a scouting report on Bellarabi last year, and the 25-year-old has since developed further and is a virtual lock for Joachim Low's Euro 2016 squad.
Transfermarkt values the winger at a modest €12 million. There have been conflicting reports on whether Bellarabi's contract, which runs until 2020, includes a release clause. Leverkusens sporting director Rudi Voller denied (via Goal) the player's contract contained a release clause on the football talk show Doppelpass in March.
While Leverkusen would undoubtedly demand a substantial fee, Dortmund should have no trouble coming up with the funds to make that deal happen.
Lars is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
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