Bürki expects ex-Dortmund teammate Marco Reus to join MLS

St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Bürki has said he expects to see Marco Reus join Major League Soccer either this summer or next year, and revealed he continues to convince his former Borussia Dortmund teammate to join the second-year expansion team.

“I talked to Marco Reus ahead of the Champions League game, I texted, we didn’t talk about the move then because he was obviously focused on the game, but Major League Soccer has a very good chance of seeing him next year or the summer,” Bürki told ESPN.

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“I can’t tell which team, I am still trying [to convince him] but at some point it’s up to [sporting director] Lutz [Pfannenstiel] and [club owner] Carolyn [Kindle] to make a move.”

Bürki admitted he’d be willing to give up the captain’s armband if that’s the price to pay for Reus arriving at St. Louis.

ESPN previously reported that St. Louis City are one of the MLS sides pursuing Borussia Dortmund attacker, as his contract with the German side expires in the upcoming weeks. Though talks remain preliminary, sources told ESPN the club remains in contention.

St. Louis City head coach Bradley Carnell called the potential reunion of Bürki and Reus a “fairytale,” before calling for caution.

“Every time there is a transfer window opening, whether it’s our club or not, everyone gets names thrown out at them. We’ve had plenty of names, whether it’s to join now or in six months,” Carnell told ESPN.

“We go through our lists, and we see if it makes sense or not. When we are in the position that we are in, sure maybe something comes around. The Marco Reus rumors are flattering, it would be something interesting for the league and our team.

“It’s one of Roman’s best friends, it would be a nice fairytale story. But sometimes reality is far from that. We’re working ways and figuring things out, but right now there’s nothing to be said about the Marco Reus rumor. But the window opens up pretty soon.”

St. Louis owner Kindle is aware of the current rumors swirling around the club, but echoed Carnell’s sentiments.

“It’s absolutely amazing [being linked to Reus.] In full disclosure, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction” Kindle said.

“Sometimes I call and ask about the rumors. But I thought it would take us three to five years to get to this point of being linked to these figures and we’re on year two and these rumors are amazing. The people of St. Louis are excited.”

Though the club remains unknown, Bürki insisted the German would soon be stateside to continue the rest of his career after losing the 2024 Champions League Final to Real Madrid.