After a memorable 12-year stint with Borussia Dortmund, Marco Reus is poised to depart the club when the season concludes, leading to widespread conjecture about his next destination at 34 years of age.
Reus is on the brink of free agency come summer, following a joint decision with Borussia Dortmund to not renew his contract.
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This development trails an instance where Reus’ agents were spotted at the Manchester derby at Old Trafford the previous year. Post-match, Darren Freeman, Reus’ agent, posted an Instagram photo with his associate Dirk Hebel, expressing gratitude to Manchester United for their hospitality.
Nonetheless, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent acquisition of a minority share in Manchester United and his assumption of complete control over football operations, the club’s pursuit of Reus appears improbable. Ratcliffe’s strategy seems to favor investing in younger prospects to shape the club’s future.
Outlining his vision on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast this year, Ratcliffe said: “I would rather sign the next [Kylian] Mbappe rather than spend a fortune trying to buy success.
“It’s not that clever is it buying Mbappe, anyone can figure that one out. What’s much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or the next [Jude] Bellingham or the next Roy Keane. The Class of 92 and [Cristiano] Ronaldo was only 16 or 17 when he came.
“The solution is not to spend a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes in the organising of the club.
“Then they can get recruitment right. It’s such a vital part of a football club today, getting recruitment right.” Reus, meanwhile, has already been linked with several potential destinations including clubs in the Premier League, MLS and Saudi Pro League.
“I’m incredibly grateful for and proud of this special time at my club Borussia Dortmund,” Reus said after announcing his exit. “I have spent more than half of my life at this club and enjoyed every day, even though there have of course been difficult moments too.
“I already know now that I will find it difficult to say goodbye at the end of the season. And yet I’m happy that there is now clarity and that we can focus fully on the very important final games that we still have to play.
“We have a big objective in our sights that we all want to achieve together. To do so, we will need every single one of our unbelievable fans, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks for their unbelievable support over the years.”
