USYNT star Reyna signs with Dortmund

United States youth international Giovanni Reyna has signed with Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga club have announced.

Reyna had been with New York City FC’s academy, but the 16-year-old departs the MLS club’s youth side to join the Bundesliga outfit.

Goal had previously reported Reyna was to join Dortmund’s academy, though the teenager’s move is still subject to FIFA approval given his age.

The midfielder, son of former U.S. international, Claudio Reyna, who currently serves as NYCFC’s sporting director, was announced along with Switzerland youth international Bradley Fink.

''Giovanni Reyna is the son of former Bundesliga player Claudio Reyna. He plays in central midfield and is without doubt a huge talent," Dortmund academy director Lars Ricken said in a statement.

"We're delighted that they've opted for Borussia Dortmund. Everyone at BVB is convinced that these two transfers show great promise."

Reyna is set to begin in the Dortmund youth sides, where he will look to follow in the footsteps of current USMNT star Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic joined the club at age 16 and received his first-term Dortmund debut as a 17-year-old.

He went onto become a key player for the Bundesliga club, culminating in a €64 million (£57m/$72m) sale to Chelsea this past January.

Like Pulisic, Reyna was eligible to join Dortmund prior to the age of 18 due to holding a European passport. In Reyna’s case, it was through his mother’s Portuguese ancestry.

Reyna has featured at the U.S. youth international levels, starring at times for the under-17 side, after guiding NYCFC’s youth team to Development Academy title.

He would then depart the MLS side’s academy for Dortmund at the start of 2019, though the move was not made official until Monday.

His father Claudio, was among the starring members of the 2002 USMNT squad that made it to the quarterfinals of that year’s World Cup, narrowly falling to Germany.

Claudio Reyna featured in four World Cups for the U.S., receiving 112 caps between 1994-2006.

He featured in the Bundesliga in the early part of his career with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, before spells with Rangers, Sunderland and Manchester City in England, finishing out his career with the New York Red Bulls in MLS.

Claudio has since gone onto management and has been the sporting director of NYCFC since the team’s arrival in MLS.