U.S. men’s national team midfielder Gio Reyna is facing another uncertain transfer window this summer as his loan deal at Nottingham Forest nears its end, despite hopes that he would be able to turn his club career around before June’s Copa America.
Reyna joined the Premier League side in January when they were in the midst of the relegation battle. Forest are expected to stay up, boasting a three-point advantage and a +12 goal differential over 18th-place Luton Town before the final day. The American played a very little role in their attempts to stay up, playing just 230 minutes over nine games so far and notching one assist during the unsuccessful loan spell.
Forest had an option to either make the deal permanent or sign a new loan deal but are not expected to have Reyna back next season, per ESPN. He’s on contract with Borussia Dortmund until 2026 but his parent club have not decided whether or not they would like Reyna to stick around. He did not play much of a role for the Champions League finalists in the first half of the season, playing 271 minutes in 11 Bundesliga games before making the winter move.
A move to Forest seemed like a bad fit from the start because of the club’s status as a relegation contender, something several people in Reyna’s camp also reportedly believed before the move went through. Dortmund and the player’s former agency, Wasserman Media Group, were against the deal but it was Reyna’s father Claudio who advocated for the move to Forest. Reyna’s new agent Jorge Mendes also counts Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo as a client, something those in favor of the transfer felt bolstered the case but it never did.
Reyna reportedly turned down moves to Marseille, Sevilla and fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers to choose Forest.
The player is still expected to play a big role for the USMNT at the Copa America, where they hope to impress as they prepare for a World Cup on home soil in two years’ time. Reyna might be able to use it as a launching pad for a possible transfer in the summer if his last outing with the national team is anything to go by. He notched two assists and a goal in the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League wins over Jamaica and Mexico in March, all despite lacking consistent playing time at the club level.
