Nottingham Forest are thought to be firmly in the race to land Dortmund forward Gio Reyna before the transfer window closes next week.
The American is subject of vast interest from across Europe – with his new agent, Jorge Mendes, working tirelessly to get him a move.
Fabrizio Romano claimed earlier today that Forest were scheduling more talks over a deal to bring Reyna to the City Ground.
Sky Sports Germany correspondent Florian Plettenberg also delivered an update on Reyna – suggesting he was confident that Forest would get a deal for Reyna over the line.
Although Forest are now linked with Reyna, we confess we know very little about him and with that in mind, we spoke to respected Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard who gave us the lowdown on the 21-year-old.
NFN: Where does Forest-linked Gio Reyna play and what are his strengths?
KH: “Typically Gio plays as a wide forward. He’s technically gifted, has a decent burst of pace and has scored some spectacular goals in his career.
“He exploded onto the scene as a 17-year-old, scoring a magnificent goal in the German Cup against Werder Bremen.”
NFN: Where can Reyna improve?
KH: “In terms of improvement, it’s really about finding consistency, and impacting games on a more regular basis. It’s worth remembering that he’s still a young player with lots of room to grow and develop.”
NFN: What has been the highlight for Reyna during his time with Dortmund?
KH: “He has scored some vital goals, particularly in the early part of 2023 for Dortmund. Without those, they wouldn’t have come as close to winning the Bundesliga as they did.”
NFN: What has gone wrong for Reyna lately?
KH: “Well, he’s found competition for places at Dortmund tough recently, with James Bynoe-Gittens, Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen and now Jadon Sancho all ahead of him.”
NFN: Finally, in your opinion would signing Reyna prove positive for Forest?
KH: “It’s always tough to judge whether a player will adapt to a new league. However, if he stays fit and starts well, he has the talent to make an impact. But, it’s by no means a sure-fire success.”
Summary – Reyna would be an exciting Nottingham Forest signing
With a points deduction hanging over Forest, the club will undoubtedly want to cut their cloth accordingly in January.
The window is notoriously tough to buy in and loaning Reyna, with an option to buy him in the summer, looks like sensible business.
Interestingly, Hatchard believes the player might need a bit of time to settle and as a result, Forest would need to ensure they gave him lots of opportunities to play.
Reyna has been billed as a wonderkid in the past, with Erling Haaland raving about him when they were at Dortmund together.
Hopefully, Forest can get this deal over the line ahead of Marseille and bolster their squad with a burgeoning young talent.
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