Former Germany international Lothar Matthaus has claimed that Bayern Munich need to sign Marco Reus from Dortmund.
Reus, 25, scored in his third consecutive match on Tuesday as his side beat Galatasaray 4-1 and, in the past few weeks, he has strongly been linked with a move to Munich, who have taken their interest in the Germany international public.
Indeed, Bayern skipper Matthaus told Sport Bild that the Bundesliga champions need to start thinking about their future and bringing in one of their rivals' best players should be their top priority.
"Looking at the future, FC Bayern Munich need Marco Reus. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery have reached a certain age, and will not be able to perform at the top level for much longer. You could already see that with Ribery, who was injured a lot," Matthaus said. "That's why this transfer makes sense. Moreover FC Bayern would be more versatile with Reus. And that's what [Pep] Guardiola wants."
The Reus situation has created a public row between the two clubs, with Dortmund unhappy with comments from Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge affirming his intentions to sign the midfielder. Matthaus, however, believes the anger is "unnecessary, especially from Munich's point of view."
He added: "They could look at Dortmund from above, from both a sporting and economic standpoint. Those rows, started by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, are not needed. To exaggerate: They could just sit down with Reus before Christmas, offer him a contract and sign him without all the skirmish, just like they did with Mario Gotze."
Bayern could face competition for Reus' signature however, as German minor league club TSV Winsen has been claiming for weeks that they lead the race for the Germany international.
The Lower Saxony side play close to the bottom of the Germany league system, but made public their tongue-in-cheek interest in Reus several weeks ago, when they announced that they are considering signing the Germany international, and added that they will make a decision on Reus' future within the next few weeks.
Speaking to Die Welt, TSV Winsen player Maximilian Schmidt explained that the club's relationship with Borussia Dortmund "is 105 percent intact" and that unlike Bayern they "do not hide their interest in the player, and not ambush him."
"He can win titles here, which he won't be able to win with other clubs, take the Bezirkspokal [local cup]. Not even Lionel Messi has that title on his letterhead," Schmidt told the paper. "We are sure that Dortmund would love to see Reus moving to us, should he leave the club, that's my feeling."
"I rate him as player, who pulls a lot from ambition. He's not interested in having got it made. And that's exactly what we can offer him. He won't be guaranteed a spot in the starting formation, but has to prove himself. And we will also not include a release clause in his contract."
Last week, the club announced that every supporter showing up at their match against SSV Sudwinsen with a Reus jersey would be allowed free entrance to the derby. "It was a huge success, we had 20 spectators more," Schmidt commented.