Given that European soccer is in the midst of its July/August silly season, there were no surprises when just as Liverpool finally parted with Raheem Sterling, helpful back-page journalists offered Reds fans the emotional solace of possible big name replacements. Marco Reus, who signed a new contract at Borussia Dortmund in February, is now, according to reports, the object of Brendan Rodgers’ £40 million attention. At the same time, there’s been a lot of movement in the possible transfer of Christian Benteke from Aston Villa to Liverpool.

In a similar way to a boy who has just been dumped being fed the lie that the prettiest girl in school is now after him, Liverpool supporters have been treated to some stellar quality gossip. Many platforms eventually source back to the UK’s Metro and Talksport, which then either cite vague ‘reports’, or each other. Fans have at least responded with comic ingenuity – a Change.org petition addressed to owner John W Henry and CEO Ian Ayre demands Reus be signed if 200,000 signatories are gained.

Is there any likelihood of the transfer? There is no concrete reason to believe so at the moment. Reus’ new contract erased the crazily cheap release clause that had encouraged Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to keep pestering Dortmund from Bavaria all winter, and he signed it when it was fairly clear, barring actually winning the UEFA Champions League (Juve knocked BvB out five weeks later), that sticking around meant he wouldn’t be playing in it for the 2015/16 campaign.

SEE MOREPreliminary TV schedule for Bundesliga on FOX Sports in US.

Having sorted their managerial change before the close of last year’s catastrophe season, Dortmund are having a pleasantly quiet summer. İlkay Gündoğan signed a new contract in April, Mats Hummels has said publicly that he will stay at least another year, and although misfit Ciro Immobile has gone, the club seem set to make it through the transfer window without losing any major stars for the first Summer since 2010 (Şahin and Kagawa have since returned but departed in 2011 and 2012 respectively; 2013 Götze; 2014 Lewandowski).

However, it is also July, and the time to begin drafting those fantasy football line-ups, and there’s no reason not to day-dream. So how would Reus fit in at Liverpool if the move did come off, and how much would he be missed at Dortmund?

Reus is not as good a fit for Rodgers’ Liverpool as Sterling, not being as good a direct runner with the ball, or as dynamic a worker off it, and not as versatile positionally. Although on the ball he probably edges Philippe Coutinho, the club’s player of 2015, in terms of passing and shooting ability, his sense of timing, decision making, and spatial awareness of team-mates’ positioning, in physical terms he is a risk – compare his injury-hit 18 Bundesliga starts last term to the 33 of Roberto Firmino.

SEE MORERead the latest transfer news updated daily.

A superior player to Lallana, Markovic and Jordan Ibe, ahead of whom he could be guaranteed to start, Reus would still take time to adjust to the Premier League. And although he could take the left-sided forward role with Coutinho playing as a central no. 10, two great technicians in theory dovetailing nicely, it is unlikely Rodgers could integrate another attacking midfielder in to the squad when he already has £90 million-worth of talent not yet settled – debut seasons for Lallana and Markovic didn’t work out but their price tags, and that of Firmino, will have another crack at being justified this year, and there will not be enough game-time for everyone.

Two things Dortmund and Liverpool have in common is their glut of under-performing creative midfielders (compare Lallana and Markovic with Kagawa, Kampl and Mkhitaryan) and their gaping need for a goal-scorer. Whilst Liverpool would be better off spending any potential Reus fee on Christian Benteke, where Reus could be most missed at Dortmund is in his support for the re-positioning of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a fully established front-man. 16 goals last term was pretty good for a converted winger in a struggling side, but Robert Lewandowski’s boots are tough to fill, and what Dortmund need from Reus this season is for him to help Aubameyang hit the net more often, as well as helping performers like Gündoğan and Şahin find their pre-injury form.

What is a tasty slice of gossip for Liverpool fans would be a nightmare for Dortmund. Wolfsburg and Gladbach’s advances last season and transfer activity since, and Leverkusen’s re-acquisition of Christoph Kramer to solidify an already talented attacking squad, mean that without Reus, Champions League qualification would be nearly impossible. Of course he could make the same difference for Liverpool, but that’s probably just fantasy football.