Marco Reus ready to sign an extension with Borussia Dortmund: Will it happen?

Just when everybody thought that Marco Reus was going to leave Borussia Dortmund this next summer, a report from Germany indicates that he will sign a contract extension with his club that will eliminate his €25 million buyout clause. With Reus reported to be under Real Madrid, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Chelsea's radar, this extension would certainly be shocking. Why would Reus make it more difficult for any other club to sign him away from a declining Dortmund team?

First of all, Reus is a Borussia Dortmund academy player. True, he was sent for Borussia Mönchengladbach seasons ago to develop as a footballer, but Dortmund managed to get him back. Even if he is set to leave Dortmund, Reus could increase his price tag in order to benefit his club. After all, he is a great footballer and some European clubs would surely be willing to spend close to €50 million for his talents. It's a fairly common practice for a player to sign a contract extension just months before leaving the club, especially with those footballers whose careers started in the academy of the selling club.

If Marco Reus' price is €25 million, Real Madrid should acquire him in a heartbeat and then figure out what his role is this roster is going to be. He's too good to let that opportunity slip. However, if he signs an extension with Dortmund and gets rid of his buyout clause, it all is an entirely different conversation. Reus has proven to be injury-prone, and it would not be as reasonable to spend a large sum of money on a player that is not needed at the moment. The way the football market is developing lately, there is no doubt that Reus could cost close to €50 million, or even more if there are more clubs interested.

One thing is for certain. If Reus signs a contract extension to do Borussia Dortmund a favor, there will not be as many teams able to afford or willing to invest on his signing. Marco Reus needs to take the next step on his career very carefully.