Giovanni Reyna in talks with Racing Strasbourg after failed Borussia Mönchengladbach revival

Giovanni Reyna in talks with Racing Strasbourg after failed Borussia Mönchengladbach revival The Athletic and Sky Germany both report that Borussia Mönchengladbach attacker Giovanni Reyna is in talks over a possible move to RC Strasbourg. Negotiations involving the 23-year-old United States international and the two clubs remain at an early stage. Gladbach are prepared to consider both a permanent sale and another loan for a player who only arrived at Borussia-Park last summer. Should Reyna complete the move, Strasbourg would become his fourth club in four consecutive campaigns. An unsuccessful Nottingham Forest loan in 2023/24 was followed by one final season at Borussia Dortmund and an equally difficult year with Gladbach. The Foals paid Dortmund an initial fee of approximately €4 million last summer. The total transfer package was reported to be capable of reaching around €7 million , while BVB retained a 15-percent sell-on clause. Reyna signed a contract through 2028 and arrived hoping to restore both his club career and his position with the USMNT ahead of the World Cup on home soil. His return to the national team ultimately proved more successful than his domestic campaign. Reyna made five appearances and scored once at the tournament, but never established himself as a regular in Mönchengladbach. Reyna unable to seize Gladbach opportunity Reyna made 19 Bundesliga appearances last season, starting only four. Across all competitions, he featured 20 times and made five starts while accumulating just 577 minutes. The attacking midfielder scored once and recorded another direct goal involvement. Recurring physical issues again interrupted his progress, while academy product Wael Mohya and experienced Austrian playmaker Kevin Stöger moved ahead of him in the pecking order. There were occasional opportunities. Following Robin Hack’s meniscus surgery early in the campaign , Reyna appeared capable of receiving more work on the left side of Gladbach’s attack. The expected run in the team never followed. Gladbach’s decision to consider an exit after only one season indicates that the club are no longer convinced Reyna can become a central component of their long-term project. His estimated market value has fallen from €7 million to €4 million since arriving. That decline forms only the latest chapter in one of the more disappointing recent Bundesliga development stories. Reyna once carried a market value of €42 million and was regarded as one of the most gifted players produced by American football. His career has since become defined by interrupted comebacks, lost opportunities and a steady search for the environment in which his talent might finally flourish again. From “The American Dream” to Dortmund’s margins Reyna joined Dortmund’s academy from New York City FC in 2019 and made his senior debut in January 2020 at the age of 17. Only five players in Dortmund history had made a competitive debut at a younger age. Reyna quickly displayed the close control, passing vision and ability to work between the lines that prompted the German press to nickname him “The American Dream.” Reyna supplied three assists in Dortmund’s 4-0 Bundesliga victory over Freiburg in October 2020, reinforcing his status as one of the club’s brightest young talents. Reyna received an A+ after supplying three assists in a Bundesliga match, while later performances inspired discussion of his renewed “license to skill” and growing courage in one-on-one situations. He featured prominently during Dortmund’s 2020/21 DFB-Pokal-winning campaign and appeared destined to become a long-term attacking reference point at the Westfalenstadion. A severe hamstring injury suffered while representing the United States in September 2021 fundamentally altered the trajectory. Further muscular problems followed. Since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, Reyna has reportedly missed 94 matches because of injuries. The repeated absences denied him rhythm. Each return contained flashes of the player Dortmund once expected to build around, yet every promising sequence seemed to end with another setback. By January 2024, Reyna was actively considering leaving Dortmund because of his limited playing time . Marseille, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and several English clubs were linked with him, while BVB sought between €15 million and €20 million. The return of Jadon Sancho further restricted his prospects. Dortmund had also begun promoting other young attackers who offered greater availability and more consistent work without the ball. Nottingham Forest move fails to produce reset Reyna ultimately reached a verbal agreement to join Nottingham Forest on loan during the January 2024 transfer window. The move was supposed to provide the regular football he could no longer obtain at Dortmund. Instead, Reyna made only nine Premier League appearances, accumulated approximately 230 minutes and registered one assist. Forest did not pursue a permanent transfer. Reyna returned to Germany that summer with another opportunity to revive his Dortmund career under Nuri Şahin. There were initially encouraging signs. After a lively substitute appearance against Eintracht Frankfurt, questions were again being asked about whether Reyna could finally find a role at BVB . Şahin’s possession-oriented football appeared capable of accommodating Reyna as a No. 8, No. 10 or creator working in the half-spaces. Once again, the optimism did not last. Reyna suffered another injury while representing the United States in September 2024 and missed several weeks. He eventually returned and scored his first Bundesliga goal in 582 days during Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim . The goal briefly offered another reminder of his quality, but did not lead to a lasting place in the starting XI. By February 2025, Dortmund were reported to be running out of patience . Reyna finished the season with three Bundesliga and three Champions League starts. He scored twice and supplied one assist across 25 appearances in all competitions, but was generally fit enough to play and still rarely trusted. That distinction was important. Injuries no longer represented the only obstacle. Questions surrounding his defensive work, training performances and ability to meet head coach Niko Kovač’s intensity requirements had also begun to influence his status. No. 7 decision signals end of Dortmund career Reyna’s Dortmund career effectively ended before his transfer became official. He played only 12 minutes during the 2025 Club World Cup, after which Jobe Bellingham inherited his No. 7 shirt . The number had become strongly associated with Reyna and even inspired the “GR7” nickname used during his rise. Surrendering it to a new arrival provided the clearest possible indication that Dortmund had moved on. At that point, Los Angeles FC were among the clubs considering the former €42 million prospect . Parma also submitted an offer for the unwanted Dortmund attacker . Reyna ultimately chose to remain in the Bundesliga. Gladbach and Parma both initially submitted bids in the region of €3 million to €3.5 million, leaving the player to decide between another German opportunity and a move to Italy. The American opted to join Borussia Mönchengladbach despite entering another squad with significant competition in the attacking positions. Dortmund’s farewell statement was unusually frank. The club acknowledged Reyna’s “meteoric rise” and role in the 2021 cup victory, but added that his development had not progressed as all parties had hoped. Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus instead emphasized Reyna’s experience, potential and ability to play in several attacking positions. The transfer was presented as the fresh chapter the player badly needed. One year later, the same questions remain. Strasbourg could offer fourth fresh start Strasbourg would provide Reyna with a new league and a fresh tactical environment, but not necessarily a clear route into the starting XI. The American would primarily compete with Paraguayan international Julio Enciso for work in the attacking midfield and creative areas. He would again have to demonstrate that he can remain available, handle the physical demands of a major European league and contribute consistently without the ball.   A permanent transfer would enable Gladbach to draw a line under an unsuccessful investment. A loan could preserve the possibility that Reyna returns with greater confidence and value, though his contract only runs through 2028. For the player himself, another temporary solution may merely postpone the central question surrounding his career. Reyna is no longer a teenager waiting for his breakthrough. He will turn 24 during the coming season and has already spent six-and-a-half years moving between the promise of his early Dortmund performances and the reality of limited senior football. The natural ability remains. Reyna can receive possession in tight spaces, carry the ball between midfield and attack and produce the type of disguised final pass that few players attempt. What remains uncertain is whether any club can consistently place those qualities within a functional team role. Forest was supposed to revive him. Dortmund gave him another opportunity. Gladbach offered Bundesliga familiarity and a permanent home. None of the three solutions worked. Strasbourg may now become the next club willing to gamble on the talent that once made Reyna “The American Dream.”