Well it finally happened,Borussia Dortmund fans. Marco Reus has signed a new contract at the club that should now keep him in Germany until 2019 at the earliest. A new deal and a renewed sense of loyalty from a player who many expected to pack his bags this summer, right'After months of speculation linking him with a number of clubs around Europe, the news that Reus has decided to stay with Dortmund comes with a certain level of surprise. Add to that a decision to omit any minimum fee release clause and it seems as though Jurgen Klopp & Co. have signed the deal of the century.But what does this now mean for the German international and his future in Dortmund' Is this a true sign of intent to stick by his boyhood club or are we entering a situation not unlike Luis Suarez's at Liverpool; a new deal that essentially paves the way for a future move out of the club'To address this we have to first take a look at what options the 25-year-old had on the table before he decided to commit to the club.As the British press reported earlier this monthfor example in The Mirror on February 5Reus supposedly held talks with Spanish giants Barcelona, before announcing to the press that he questioned where exactly he would fit into a side that had Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar up front. Oh, and the small fact that they're currently under a transfer embargo.The month before saw another potential suitor bite the dust when Bayern Munich declared themselves out of the racesasESPNreported on January 30when Germany tabloid Bild announced that the Bavarian giants didn't feel comfortable either snatching another Dortmund talent or indeed one with such a dotted injury history.Whatever the reason, Reus wouldn't be joining Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski in Munich this summer.Yet there are other clubs who have been linked with Reus in the past who may still show an interest this summer.Two of these clubs are Arsenal and Real Madrid, both linked with the forward throughout the yearas we can see in this Daily Mail article on February 9who have the cash and patience to continue testing the player and his club's resolve over a potential transfer, despite the removal of his opt-out clause.Arsene Wenger has never been a manager who enjoys dancing to the tune of modern, inflated transfer evaluations and could therefore bin any hope of signing the Dortmund forward now that his 20 million buy-out clause is no more.However we have seen the north London club splash out when pressure from fans has hit saturation point. If Arsenal fail to reach a top-four place in May, we might well see a full frontal assault on Reus as Wenger goes looking for solutions to his ailing side.Madrid on the other hand seem like a more logical and straightforward club to predict when it comes to transfer dealings. We've seen the Spanish giants wait, wait and wait for their man in the pompous belief that eventually all roads lead toSantiago Bernabeu for Europe's top talent.Yet German magazine Kicker have since announcedreported by The Guardian on February 10that Reus not only ignored interest from Madrid but flat-out rejected an offer from the club to sign a new deal with Dortmund. CarloAncelotti's side may still hope to sign the forward in the future, but it looks as though he won't be making the trip to Madrid anytime soon.Yet let's now turn our attention to what really should be considered the overwhelming likelihood that Reus has simply decided to stick by the club that raised him as a player.It was Dortmund's club chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke who put it well in the club's statement(German) on the deal when he announced:"Marco can define an era in Dortmund like Uwe Seller in Hamburg, or Steven Gerrard in Liverpool. "That Marco decided in favour of Borussia Dortmund in the middle of our sporting crisis shows that he identifies with the club and we are proud of that."As Watzke quite rightfully alludes to, Reus has decided to stick by Dortmund in what has undoubtedly been their mosttraumatisingseason since coming back from the brink of bankruptcy nearly 20 years ago.It would have been far too easy for the world-class star to simply acknowledge all the former German champions have done for him, make a decent gesture to the fans, but then announce his desire to go win trophies elsewhere. The Westfalenstadion faithful would have been disheartened but ultimately understood his reasoning.Yet here he stands a product of Dortmund and a player who has decided to show a level of loyalty almost unheard of in the modern game. Reus may well move on in the future, but if he does, it will be by Dortmund's command. Until then, he remains the club's best player and undoubtedly their strongest hope of returning to the summit of German football before too long. And that's something Dortmund fans have a right to be immensely hopeful of.@Sbienkowski
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