Gio Reyna’s situation at Borussia Dortmund remains uncertain

Borussia Dortmund are seemingly set for a variety of major shake-ups in the not so distant future, the biggest of these being the recent announcement that Hans-Joachim Watzke will step down from his position as CEO of the club as soon as 2025. On the player front, many expiring contracts means that Dortmund will likely see a slew of familiar faces depart for pastures new, opening up space for new players to take up the roles they will vacate.

One player whose future has been the source of ample speculation is Gio Reyna. Reyna, who’s had very limited minutes this season, is likely faced with the prospect of either impressing the club in the next six months and earning himself a contract extension, or having to start anew somewhere else as his contract is up in 2025 and the club will not want to lose him on a free transfer. 

As mentioned, Reyna has had very limited minutes, and the minutes he has had have often seen him playing out wide, a position that the player doesn’t necessarily prefer, per reports. Reyna sees himself as an attacking midfielder per those same reports, hence there is likely a level of frustration associated with being pushed out wide.

Reyna’s lack of minutes generally comes as a a bit of a shock as the player, when he’s featured, has often looked very lively and has offered a level of incisiveness and connectivity with his passing that the team has been sorely lacking. There are reports of the player receiving praise from assistant coach Nuri Sahin however, which may mean that his addition have some impact on Reyna’s overall minutes in the coming months. 

Ahead of the training camp in Marbella, Gio father and agent, Claudio Reyna, had a meeting with the club to seemingly discuss his son’s future with the side. Since then, Dortmund have been increasingly more linked with FC Nürnburg’s Can Uzun, which the club are said to see as “the ideal successor for Marco Reus”; the very same position Reyna would prefer long term. 

It seems unlikely that Dortmund’s interest in Uzun and Reyna’s position at the club are unrelated, and the more that it is spoken about, the higher the likelihood that Reyna leaves this coming summer. If so, it will be a disappointing end to Reyna’s time in black and yellow, as he is a player that has shown strong glimpses of promise despite being given limited time on the pitch and having to overcome significant injury layoffs.