By Greg Stobart
Manchester City will launch an ambitious £32 million bid for Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus before the end of the season.
The Premier League side are preparing a package that will double Reus’ £60,000-a-week wages and will make a formal offer to Dortmund in the next 10 days.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder is understood to be reluctant to leave the German club just a year after joining from Borussia Monchengladbach – but City will test their resolve with a big-money bid.
City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, is determined to complete the club’s transfer business early this season and has targeted a number of marquee signings, with Napoli striker Edinson Cavani the top target.
Reus has been identified by Begiristain as a player who would boost the 2011-12 champions’ chances of winning the Premier League title next season after they missed out to bitter rivals Manchester United this term.
The likes of Brazilian star Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic are also on City’s radar as they plan a major summer overhaul of the playing squad, with a number of highly paid players potentially leaving the Etihad Stadium including Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott.
“Manchester City are determined not to repeat the mistakes of the 2012 summer transfer window and have drawn up a hitlist well in advance of the end of the season,” a source close to the club told Goal.com.
“Reus is one player the club are committed to going all guns blazing for very soon. They are determined to test Dortmund – and the player’s – resolve with a fantastic offer.”
Dortmund would be reluctant to cash in on the Germany international with Mario Gotze moving to Bayern Munich this summer in a £32m (€37m) deal and speculation over the future of striker Robert Lewandowski remaining uncertain.
Reus has enjoyed a sparkling season since his €17.1m (£14.4m) move to Dortmund last summer, scoring 22 goals and providing 18 assists for the Champions League semi-finalists.
Reus has four years remaining on his contract at Signal Iduna Park and is a childhood Dortmund fan – he was on the club’s books as a youth player and chose them over Bayern Munich last summer.
But he could be tempted by City’s huge double-your-money offer even though he would prefer to stay in the Bundesliga next season to boost his chances of featuring for Germany at the World Cup in 2014.
