Serie A outfit Fiorentina missed out when Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest completed the loan signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gio Reyna during the January transfer window.
This is a player who, at the age of just 17, was one of Dortmund’s go-to men in the final third. An equal, for a time, with Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, and a defence-splitting devil of a playmaker with ‘world-class’ potential at his fingertips.
A seemingly relentless spate of injuries, however, mean Reyna’s career has moved in a very different direction to that of Bellingham and Haaland. In fact, you could argue that he needs Nottingham Forest as much as they need him, Nuno Espirito Santo’s relegation-threatened side snapping up the America international on loan after he tumbled down the pecking order back home in Germany.
It’s telling that, despite his well-publicised fitness issues, Forest found themselves facing plenty of competition from across the continent. Marseille and a number of La Liga clubs wanted Reyna too. As did a Fiorentina outfit who had identified the 21-year-old as an alternative to Cagliari’s £34 million-rated talisman Albert Gudmundsson.
“There was an interest from Fiorentina in Gudmundsson and Reyna,” explains Nereo Bonato, who’s Cagliari side would have brought in Antonin Barak from La Viola had Fiorentina succeeded in signing one of Gudmundsson or Reyna (RadioLina).
“We saw the desire on the part of the Viola to get there. Then, there was Nottingham Forest who made a better offer for Reyna, and Genoa decided to keep Gudmundsson.”
Fiorentina missed out
There is no option-to-buy clause in Reyna’s Forest contract. According to ESPN, however, Dortmund may be tempted to accept offers in the region of £13 million.
The Sunderland-born Reyna – who is the son of ex-Black Cats and Man City midfielder Claudio – made his Premier League debut in last week’s 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth.
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