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Over the weekend, before reports emerged that a deal had been agreed to take Raheem Sterling to Manchester City, rumours kicked off that Liverpool could look to replace the promising talent with a proven superstar. That proven superstar was Marco Reus, who was linked to the club frequently last summer, though often it seemed more a case of the fans trying to will a deal into being done than a reflection of real interest.
Now that Sterling is set to head to Manchester City, with a fee agreed, reports of a £200k per week contract, and just the medical still to go before the move is made official, those Reus romours have been given another boost. So far it’s just the tabloids and skepticism should reign, but the suggestion is that Liverpool will reinvest their entire Sterling windfall—and then some, since QPR are owed 20% of the Sterling fee—on the Dortmund star.
Of the £49M City are set to pay for Sterling, £44M is up front and a further £5M are add-ons. That means the Reds are getting a little more than £35M of it up front, rising to £39M and change if Sterling delivers and the add-ons are triggered. QPR get the rest. The Reus rumours, meanwhile, claim Liverpool are prepared to pay Borussia Dortmund £46M for their star. It would make him the club’s record signing by some margin.
It would also solve in one swoop the club’s need to replace Sterling and to find a new starting striker, given Reus’ ability to play anywhere in the attack with equal effectiveness. Along with the arrival of Roberto Firmino, it would solve Liverpool’s attacking needs, providing striker cover until Daniel Sturridge can return and multiple options for setting up once he did. It might even make Liverpool legitimate title challengers.
Of course there are potential complicating factors. And that’s beyond even the very basic question on whether there’s any truth at all to the rumours or, if there are, whether the 26-year-old Reus would be willing to move to a Liverpool side not currently in the Champions League. Mostly they boil down to questions concerning Reus’ fitness, with the player having struggled mightily over the past two seasons to remain healthy.
Multiple ankle injuries and muscular issues have seen Reus miss more than 30 games over 200 days the past two seasons and his injury record makes him look a potential second Sturridge for the club—a deadly attacker when fit but a player who could easily end up sidelined more often than not. Still, if Liverpool believed Reus could stay healthy, he would be a superstar signing to make fans forget about Sterling.
