Gio Reyna’s lack of playing time with Borussia Dortmund could lead to a reported move to Italy.
Serie A side Parma is in talks to acquire Reyna in a permanent deal from the Bundesliga club, Sky Sports reported. Despite the two clubs remaining in talks over a transfer fee, Reyna has agreed to the move, according to the report.
Parma has offered €6 million to Borussia Dortmund, however the Black and Yellow are demanding a larger fee for Reyna’s services.
The 22-year-old is coming off of one of his least productive seasons in Dortmund colors. Reyna scored two goals and added one assist in 26 appearances, but registered just 627 minutes of playing time.
He has failed to reach the 1,000-minute mark in each of the last two seasons, which also featured a loan spell at Nottingham Forest during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign.
A decrease in playing time has also led to Reyna missing out on U.S. men’s national team opportunities. He has earned just one cap in 2025, a 21-minute cameo against Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match.
Parma finished 16th in Serie A last season, fighting off relegation by five points.
I think we all want to see him succeed, like we want to see all of them succeed, at least I hope so
it’s just way more than that
Italy would be a good place for him, saying that for a long time. Maybe a young new coach in the league is what it takes to give Gio a chance. we’ll see if it happens, and then how Gio responds if it does. wherever he goes I just hope it’s to a coach that wants him of course. sucks to play for someone who doesn’t want you
PS – Just saw the pics from Gio’s wedding. He married Chole Ortolano his longtime girlfriend over the weekend in Tarrytown, NY. She played as a defensive mid-fielder at Providence College. Played in 74 different matches between 2019-2022. More importantly, they make a lovely couple. Congratulations to the both of them!
Perhaps whole new generation of Reyna soccer phenoms in the making?
Parma is owened by the Krause Group who run an American convenience store chain called Kum and Go. One of their nicknames is The Duchy Boys. Their new coach has never coached a first team and is 29 years old.
to be clear the nickname The Duchy Boys is for Parma not the Krause Group or the Kum and Go truck stops in Iowa.
They sold Kum and Go a few years back to Maverik Gas Stations. Now they just do vineyards and soccer. They still own Des Moines Menace and if they ever get a stadium built will have a USL team in Des Moines. The land is on an old hazardous material site so cleanup took forever, now they are finishing up lining up all the funding. They are losing money “at a Lyon pace” at Parma so we’ll see how that works out. Staying in Serie A should help with that.
Interesting!
Do you mean the very same Menace in USL2 that got eliminated from the USL2 playoffs by my 2nd favorite USL2 team Mpls City FC? That Menace? (Are we headed for a Vermont Green FC v Mpls City FC match up in the finals? Both are through to the quarterfinals. I can dream! The Green have super fan Sammy Mewis at their games – and as sometimes coach of the girl’s team – and after a halftime speech on Sunday by Bernie, have renamed the stadium the Berniebeu. The next round of playoff tix at the Berniebeu sold out in 3 minutes!)
But I digress….
I’m just gonna say that it’s kind of weird a group based out of Iowa are running vineyards. That you say they are emulating Lyon then makes sense.
Yes that Des Moines Menace, made famous by Sasha Kljestan and Benny Feilhaber leading their US Open Cup team.
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I guess they also own a resort in the Parma area as well. Kyle Krause had great grandparents from Italy so when they were looking at buying a club in Europe they jumped on Parma. I believe the other stuff came after.
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Apparently the -400 million is since 2020 not one year. They only lost 74 million in 2024. Covid and a big stadium renovation has been their big costs. Big losses like Lyon but seems like less sketchy accounting.
Looks like Wolfsburg has walked away from deal with Norwich who demanded more than 20 million euros at the last minute.
I read other reports that Sargent had nixed the deal not the fee, but either way seems off.
Dortmund holding this up is a bit ridiculous. They clearly don’t want him. His transfrmarkt price is around 7 million euros. That’s pure profit for Dortmund. One way to get this over the line is adding sell on percentage clause.
It would be a breath of fresh air to log on to SBI and he the headline:
“XXXX signs Giovanni Reyna on a Permanent Deal”
As much as I trash him (only when certain people hail him as the savior or best player of US Soccer), I really really REALLY want this kid to succeed.
Reyna signing a permanent deal somewhere…. anywhere in a top 10 world league, that wants him and values him and will have him play consistent soccer…….. is positive that this point
for the people dismissive of reyna, let’s look at who gets involved in how many goals.
caps/G/A (contributions/games per contribution)
ferreira 23/15/4 (19/1.21)
pulisic 78/32/20 (52/1.5)
luna 12/3/4 (7/1.71)
balogun 17/5/4 (9/1.89)
pepi 33/13/3 (16/2.06)
agyemang 12/5/0 (5/2.4)
reyna 32/8/5 (13/2.46)
mcglynn 11/2/2 (4/2.75)
wright 17/5/1 (6/2.83)
mckennie 60/11/9 (20/3)
aaronson 53/9/7 (16/3.31)
weah 44/7/5 (12/3.67)
jedi 50/4/8 (12/4.16)
tillman 25/3/3 (6/4.16)
busio 17/1/3 (4/4.25)
sargent 28/5/1 (6/4.67)
dest 33/2/5 (7/4.71)
zendejas 11/1/1 (2/5.5)
LDLT 31/1/5 (6/6.2)
white 8/1/0 (1/8)
richards 31/3/0 (3/10.33)
musah 47/1/3 (4/11.75)
this explains why i am so insistent on ferreira. this explains why i am like wait on the other 9s to decide forward.
this explains why i am befuddled at how mcglynn got treated end of the tournament.
this also explains why i think some mids need to get benched or dropped, they aren’t that productive, they are roughly as useful as having a wingback or richards trying to score.
and i understand there are other utilities than pure offense but i think those tend to get overrated for the slackers. to me i’d rather have 2 playmakers or 2 destroyers, i think two way mush is overrated.
For Reyna those contributions are almost all in competition (NL not GC) or better friendlies. They aren’t “Pirate of the Caribbean” numbers like Ferreira put up against Trinidad, St. Kitts and Grenada because if you take out those matches (4 app 12g 3a) it’s 19/4 or 4.75 which isn’t nearly as beautiful.
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If Gio is fit he needs to be with the NT. Multiple soccer media including former players have suggested he is not physically fit. If he was fit there’s no reason he couldn’t get more time at Dortmund, Sabitzer, Nmecha and Brandt are not that good.
IV,
“this explains why i am so insistent on ferreira. this explains why i am like wait on the other 9s to decide forward”
Yep. I an see that you and Gregg are of one mind, soulmates, You go together like peas and carrots.
V: you understand that when i say, let’s wait on the other 9s, i mean balogun and pepi. (and stay the heck away from sargent and white, who are about as productive as sending a wingback or richards forward)
i would also like to see ferreira around as a swiss army player. i think he actually does what some think aaronson might possibly do.
ironically you just “upped” reyna to diss ferreira. that’s how bad you want to disagree with me. and you’ll then swap sides over to reyna is useless on some other day.
you’re ignoring ferreira has a goal on mexico, several assists including 1 on ES in WCQ, a goal on panama in WCQ as well as 1 on them to keep us alive in the gold cup 2023 semis.
your game with the math hocus pocus is to act like the argument is about the admittedly poor st kitts and grenada, when part of what you’re doing is also subtracting 5G 3A from trinidad games. as in the team who beat us away in 2023 nations league. as in subtracting goals from ferreira’s total just a few months before we lost to tnt. no, that’s not really convincing.
JR: you’re also in such a typically one sided rush to critique my posts that you miss your ferreira diluted recalculations are better than some regular starters or bench players, eg, musah, LDLT, sargent, and busio. that gives you no pause?
i mean, it’s struck me before that the popular regular mids were sufficiently meh in the run of play that it’s almost a 3 man offense.
if we’re gonna go attacking i’d personally rather we go a little faster or a little “cole palmer” technique. something other than a bunch of mids out there to defend just “ok” and score once every couple years. vs. say mcglynn who’s hit a couple rockets in half a year, and who sprays the ball around for actual quick switches. but that’s trying to create chances as opposed to play keepaway.
IV,,
I get that Ferreira has become another of your me against the world obsessions; fueled by some very shaky stats.
I don’t look at his stats. I’ve seen most of his USMNT games and some of his Olympic qualifiers. I’ve never felt good watching him. It’s not so much that he sucks. It’s more that I always thought, “this is the best they can do?” All you have to do is make sure Grenada gets on the schedule as much as possible.
You and Gregg are both obsessed with being seen to be “right.”.
You are so similar to each other. He gave him 23 caps long past when it was clear that maybe Ferreira wasn’t exactly working out. I can see you capping Ferreira endlessly until he proved you right. Probably in the next game that they play Grenada.
It would be “Jesus and the USMNT” will tonight be the game where we see him score?
You sure pick some useless hills to die on.
IV: proof you don’t actually read what other people say. I’ve said all along Reyna should be called in every available window unless he’s not fit. I don’t think he’s fit, you don’t go from average speed to slowest attacker in Bundesliga if you’re healthy.
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Ferreira screwed himself showing up in January out of shape and then leaving to go play with Seattle instead of staying in camp. Also you’re comparing numbers he had as a striker to guys who are 8s or 6s. Of course a strikers numbers should be better than a 8/6. I’ve also been a big promoter of Ferreira but he has not been the same 10 as he was with Pepi. I’d be happy if he returned to form he just hasn’t clicked with other strikers as he did at FCD with Ricardo.
Rumor is Reyna is a head case. the person who probably knows this best, and may have the most recent direct contact, is Matt Turner.
Sounding more and more like this Parma deal is going to get nixed.
I would say he lacks maturity and critical insight into his true self nature. Has too many negative projections about himself rattling around in his brain. Needs a proper Zen master to focus him in the present, moment to moment. And/or he needs a good team sports psychologist to help him unclutter all the crap his parents loaded him with as a child. Being a child superstar, and also the son of two very successful US national team members, ooooohh baby that’s a heavy load to lay on a kid’s shoulders. In general, he needs to grow the &%$# up.
…and my hunch is he hasn’t healed enough from the death of his older brother. He may never will – and that’s okay – but right now they don’t let him on airplanes: too much baggage.
Damn DC Josh……thanks for bring that to light. I didn’t know he had an older brother Jack that passed or a young brother, Joan-Mikel, that plays in the Austin FC youth system
Thanks for that
Even licensed psychiatrists aren’t supposed to make a diagnosis until they have talked to a person at some length and investigated their background. It amazes me how fans can figure out what’s going on emotionally with someone they have never even met.
Gary, I’m no therapist, but Gio always looks miserable, like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Due to the tragic death of his older brother, I also wonder if his parents have become overly protective of him, which led to the helicopter parenting incident with Gregg.
But don’t mind me, I’m just some middle-aged dope, who likes to think he is a keen observer of other people. Gio clearly needs to go somewhere with a clean slate where he can get all of this sorted out. If the 26-man roster for 2026 were named today, it’s not likely he would be on it.
Bizzy, check out Sports Illustrated: “The Reyna Family Story of Loss and Legacy,” from Dec, 2018, written by Grant Wahl.
DC Josh, Gary,
Thank you for the kind and thoughtful words re: Gio. I, as much as anyone, want to see him succeed. He has talent, and skill on the ball, and field vision, in Spades.
Being and adult professional soccer player requires one to commit to being an adult and a professional. Though the loss of his brother is certainly tragic, and I would not minimize the impact to him and his family, there is nothing in what he has been through so far as a child and a young man that is insurmountable. At the level of the USMNT, the professional clubs he has been with, there is high degree of professionalism and expertise in the physio staff, medical personnel and sports psychologists. He has, and has had, access to top drawer health care, in all facets of physical and emotional health.
As the old joke goes, “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Vell, oonly one, but zee light bulb must vaant to change!”
God only knows what he is going through, but riding the pines for Dortmund all summer, and being withheld from the Gold Cup squad, even after Dortmund made him the video advert poster child of Dortmund’s summer Club World Cup campaign in the USofA must have really smarted. They didn’t even give him a minute on the field in front of family and friends when Dortmund played their match in NY/NJ.
He has to decide what he really wants out of this career as a pro soccer player and just go for it, with all his heart and soul, 100%, no looking back, no excuses. Being a professional means being a professional.
I am a little late to the thread, but DC Josh at 12:56, you wrote:
Gio always looks miserable,
Did you ever watch his dad play? Claudio was the most morose SOB on the planet while he was playing. Even in 2002 WC when he assisted on the first goal against Mexico in the round of 16, he looked like somebody took a leak in his Cheerios.
i could give a crap less about the rumors people spread. as shown in my stats list on my comment, he’s up near the strikers in terms of how many games per goal or assist. if he does that in NT games, i could give a fart less whether (the now benched) turner likes him, whether dortmund or forest play him, whether he trains super hard, or anything else.
i am of the iverson school. judge our games. the rest is noise.
and if we’re gonna play this political crap you better have a superior solution than 4th in nations league and 2nd in gold cup. we were winning tournaments with him in a lead role. not interested in the current obsession with fielding tryhards to finish consistently behind mexico and canada.
IV,
If Iverson were a soccer player, the USMNT is the last team he would want to play for.
The vast majority of the games are vs. weakling CONCACAF teams or are friendlies.
CONCACAF games are not easy but the USMNT should win most if not all of them.
And friendlies? Friendlies are just practice and we all know how Alan feels about practice.
Reyna needs to go somewhere and remaining in a top 5 league is helpful. I think Serie A is more technical than the Bundesliga so it might fit Reyna better who, I think, can be a good midfielder if given the chance.
New Parma manager Carlos Cuesta could be a great mentor for Gio. He was the right hand man for a strong disciplinarian in Arteta (non-negotiables) but also known for his very personal engagement with players on an individual basis. If he is on board with taking Gio under his wing this could be a great thing. Hopefully this is a manager driven signing and not American owner driven for marketing purposes.
Most important thing for Gio in his next move is the trust of the manager. After that, its up to him to justify that faith.
Cuesta is 29. I have tshirts older than him. That’s the whole post…
Rumor now is Dortmund wants 10-12 and are holding this up. They don’t want him, if Gio wants to go let him go.
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On the other hand it sounds like Dortmund is cooling on selling Campbell and may be willing to loan him within the Bundesliga. Or someone realized they sold Gittens, Duranville is hurt, selling Gio, and Brandt stinks maybe we should keep our young attacking player a little longer.
Parma is owened by the Krause Group who run an American convenience store chain called Kum and Go. One of their nicknames is The Duchy Boys. Their new coach has never coached a first team and is 29 years old.
JR
BVB don’t look at Gio the way most of SBI does.
They don’t care about the USMNT’s World Cup timeline needs. It’s just not their problem.
10 million seems to be their bottom line.
If they don’t get it they kill the deal and wait for someone else to bid.
Failing that, they keep Gio for season 25-26.
As you pointed out they are running out of potential successors to Marco Reus
“They don’t want him, ….”
That’s not entirely true. Meet their price and then they don’t want him but otherwise………………….
He’s not in Nico’s plans but plans change.
If they truly believe that 10 million is the bottom line then there is no need to throw him away for less.
If he can move to Parma, revive his career then he will certainly be worth more than 10 million.
So work out a sell on deal or keep him and coach him up and play him enough so that he at least can be sold for 10-12 million in the January window or maybe the summer..
In a weird sort of way, no one, not even your genius buddy, the sainted IV, knows more about the ins and outs of Gio than the people at BVB. Nobody.
And they just are not going to let him loose for a cup of noodles and a pepperoni pizza w/ mushrooms. It has to suck to know you are valued less than Brenden Aaronson.
Given the personnel situation I imagine Nico would be open to amending his plans.
And Gio may not love it but if he really hates his situation he’ll see that his best way out of hell is reach down deep and figure out how to please Nico and give him what he wants.
He’s a newlywed. Getting married often has an effect on most people.
Let’s see what it does to him.