Gio Reyna ‘eyes Dortmund departure after appearing in just 12 of 27 games as Aston Villa considers making a run at the US winger for $16million-$22m’

U.S.M.N.T. star Gio Reyna has been linked with a move to English side Aston Villa this month, with the winger searching for game time after falling out of favor at Borussia Dortmund, according to FootballTransfers.com.

The 21-year-old, Tyne-and-Wear-born American was once considered as one of the hottest up-and-coming prospect in world soccer, but has not managed to score or assists in 12 appearances across all competitions this season. 

What’s more is that Reyna has earned just two starts since August, only playing more than a half once. 

He could now follow into his father’s footsteps by playing in England. Claudio Reyna was a midfielder with 87 and 28 appearances for Manchester City and Sunderland. He was a fan favorite among both sets of supporters. 

Reyna, who is under contract with Dortmund until 2025, is ‘determined to leave the club in January, according to a report from ESPN. His estimated value is roughly at £12-17million ($16-$21M). 

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are unexpectedly flying high this season, sitting fourth in the league 

Aston Villa’s interest in the young forward comes at a time when the club is sitting fourth in the Premier League – a qualification spot for next year’s Champions League group stage – and is putting together a shock title race against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. 

But, to keep momentum going until May, Villa need to bolster its squad. At Villa Park, Reyna, who can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder, will be in competition with star winger Moussa Diaby, as well as loanee Nicolas Zaniolo and Jhon Duran.

Reyna has been linked with a move away from Germany all January, with Marseille in France, Sevilla and Real Sociedad in Spain, and Nottingham Forest, as well as Wolves and now Aston Villa, all registering interest in the player. 

On Friday, in the wake of the USA’s 1-0 loss to Slovenia, head coach Gregg Berhalter showed his support to Reyna regarding his reasons for wanting to leave Dortmund this month. 

United States head coach Gregg Berhalter said he understands Reyna’s reasons to leave BVB

‘Any professional who’s competitive wants to be on the field,’ Berhalter said. ‘This is a case where Gio hasn’t been getting the game time that he wants and potentially (is) looking for alternate options, and that’s completely understandable.’ 

Reyna became at 17 the youngest American to debut in the Bundesliga in 2020. 

He was limited to a pair of substitute appearances at the 2022 World Cup, and a feud developed between the Reyna family and Belhalter that caused Berhalter to be replaced by interim coaches for much of last year. Berhalter resumed coaching in September and Reyna played four matches with the U.S. in October and November.

‘We support him in his quest to get on the field regularly and (are) looking forward to to the outcome of that,’ Berhalter said.