Nottingham Forest
Manager reacts as Nottingham Forest agrees to a deal with “world-class” £13 million talent.
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic insists that Gio Reyna has not yet asked to leave the Bundesliga giants even as Nottingham Forest remain confident of luring the USA international to the Premier League.
HITC Football understands that, despite interest from Marseille, Nottingham Forest still believe they will win the race to sign a player who, not so long ago, was seen as an equal with Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland at Signal Iduna Park.
Injuries have done serious damage to Reyna’s reputation over the last few seasons, the stylish attacking midfielder potentially set to spend the rest of the reason in a Premier League relegation battle while Bellingham and Haaland fight for football’s biggest prizes.
Forest, HITC has been told, have agreed a deal in principle to bring the £13 million-rated Reyna to the City Ground for the remainder of 2023/24.
Terzic, however, insists that the son of former Sunderland and Manchester City man Claudio Reyna has not yet informed the German giants of his desire to leave in the final week of the window, with a bit more time required to make up his mind.
Nottingham Forest still hope to sign Gio Reyna
“Gio is fit and healthy, and therefore an option for the starting eleven with the absences we have,” Terzic tells BVB Buzz, a rare start on the cards during Sunday’s home clash with VFL Bochum.
“Gio hasn’t approached me and expressed a desire to leave. Therefore, it is not an issue for me at the moment.”
Reyna has been included in Terzic’s XI on only two occasions so far this term. And while former England international Danny Murphy has reservations about the youngster’s physicality – or a lack thereof – Forest could potentially get their mitts on a genuine match-winner if they can complete a deal for a player who struck up such a fearsome understanding with Haaland not so long ago.
Reyna, while still a teenager, scored seven goals and set up eight more in 2020/21, then-Dortmund boss Marco Rose labelling him a player with ‘world-class’ capabilities.
Erling Haaland is a huge fan
“He’s 17-and-a-half soon. At such a young age to be so calm on the ball and play for such a big team, it’s very fascinating to see how calm he is,” the Man City talisman told ESPN at the time.
“He doesn’t care about anything. He just jumps right into it. He’s a top talent, and we’re lucky to have him here.
“The American Dream, I call him that.”
Terzic, meanwhile, has been tipped to follow Jurgen Klopp from Dortmund to Liverpool. The Anfield boss confirmed on Friday that he will leave at the end of this season.
