Chelsea and Real Madrid are reportedly looking to battle it out for the signature Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus, who is expected to leave the Westfalenstadion next summer.
Many top clubs are after the 25-year-old forward following reports he will be available for a relatively low price after the end of this season.
This is because Reus, despite being contracted to Borussia Dortmund until 2017, has a £20 million (€25 million) buyout clause in his current contract which will get activated next summer, unless the Bundesliga outfit manage to agree with the player on a new contract.
Dortmund did offer him a new deal two months ago, but Reus rejected the offer as his wage demands of £180,000-a-week were not met.
Now Reus' suitors are all on red alert after Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that contract talks with the former Borussia Monchengladach midfielder had been put on hold due to the club focusing on improving their performances in the Bundesliga, where they are currently in 15th place.
Arsenal and Liverpool were the first clubs to show an interest in Reus, and now, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, Chelsea and Real Madrid have joined the queue and are in a two horse race to secure Reus' signature.
Real Madrid seem to have a slight advantage in the race as they have reportedly already agreed a "right to buy" clause with the Bundesliga side, when they sold Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin back to Dortmund this summer.
However, Chelsea are reportedly looking to lure the German forward with a mouthwatering £7.8 million-a-year contract.
It is believed that Dortmund may be willing to listen to offers in the region of £30 million for Reus in January if they fail to convince him to extend his stay at Westfalenstadion.
The Blues may have an upper hand in his scenario as they are reportedly ready to offer their forward Andre Schurrle in a player plus cash deal for Reus.
