4 Borussia Dortmund Greats the Club Could Do with Right Now

The 2016 summer transfer window hasn't officially opened, yet Borussia Dortmund have already found this offseason to be a tumultuous period in the club's history. Captain and longstanding hero of the defence Mats Hummels was recently sold to Bayern Munich. And their best central midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan, has left for Manchester City.

Things could become even more dire for Dortmund in the coming months, as their players who helped the club earn an impressive 78 points in the Bundesliga last season are certain to attract tempting bids from Europe's biggest clubs

Dortmund will have to rebuild this summer and beyond and will hope to make new heroes in the years to come. But what if they could bring back some stars of yesteryear? Who would fit well into the team? B/R has dusted off the history books and picked out four players the Ruhr side could do with. Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our picks, listed in alphabetical order by surname.

Robert Lewandowski

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Dortmund may have finally found a suitable replacement for Robert Lewandowski in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but one can only imagine what a partnership the pair could form if they operated within the same team right now.

They played together in 2013-14, but that was a tumultuous season under Jurgen Klopp, and the Gabon international was a right-winger who was nowhere near his current level. The pair have complementary skill sets, with Aubameyang's blistering pace making him an absolute monster. Yet Lewandowski is still a legend at Signal Iduna Park and would offer a more rounded set of skills, from his physicality to his close control and short-range passing game, as well as (of course) his finishing.

Lewandowski scored 103 goals in 187 appearances for Dortmund in four seasons, averaging over 31 in each of his last three. He's the best striker BVB have ever had, and fans would welcome him with open arms if he were to return.

Andreas Moller

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After years of being linked with exits, Gundogan and Hummels have made headlines through officially leaving Dortmund this summer. Yet BVB may also mourn the loss of another key player this summer in the form of Marco Reus. The 27-year-old's loyalty to his hometown club has been accompanied by a spate of injuries in recent years, and although it looks as though he'll stay at Signal Iduna Park next season, it's highly questionable as to whether he'll ever again be the player he once was.

With that in mind, Andreas Moller would be a great player to bring back into the Dortmund team. During his peak, the versatile attacker was a lethal goalscorer with both feet and an exceptional playmaker with great vision and passing ability. He was the kind of player who could do it all in attack. That's what Reus has been to BVB in recent years, and it's what Dortmund need next season.

Moller was an 85-time capped Germany international who won the European Championship, World Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup, DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga during his career. Dortmund could use a player of such experience who could lead them to trophies.

Stefan Reuter

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In times like these, the concept of loyalty is something that does not go overlooked. Dortmund have star players, but the concept of Echte Liebe (true love) that has always been the club's mantra is waning. Mario Gotze's departure for Bayern in 2013 was a major blow to that credo, and it's hard to see why players such as Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be inclined to show loyalty to a small and not particularly beautiful city in a foreign country.

What Dortmund need is star players who will do anything for the shirt, and one good example is Stefan Reuter. Although born a stone's throw from Bavaria and despite playing for Bayern earlier in his career, Reuter moved to Dortmund in 1992 and spent 12 years with the club.

He was one of the fastest defenders in the game during his prime, and his accomplishments include winning the 1990 World Cup, 1996 European Championship and 1997 Champions League. Although he could have gone to any of a number of top clubs when he elected to leave Juventus, he moved to Dortmund at the age of 25 and remained until his retirement at 37.

Matthias Sammer

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With Hummels having left Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund need a new defender who can take responsibility on the ball and help build play from deep areas while also being solid inside his own half. Looking back at their history, there is a player who could do all that—and he was able to do so at an exceptional level: Matthias Sammer.

Sammer was, in many ways, what Hummels should aspire to be. He was a fierce competitor who was never bullied either physically or mentally and was extremely accomplished. He led BVB to the Bundesliga title in 1995-96 before helping his country win the European Championship that summer. And for his efforts that year, he became the only Dortmund player to win the Ballon d'Or.

The next season, Sammer was in the heart of the defence as BVB won the Champions League in improbable fashion over Juventus. In that regard, he was the leader that Hummels never was. As a nice bonus, his career record of 98 goals for club and country combined, according to Transfermarkt, is quite remarkable for someone whose primary task was defending.