Real Madrid president Florentina Perez likely saw something in Marco Reus when his club hosted Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals of last season's Champions League.
Although Real Madrid squeaked by 3-2 on aggregate, Reus notched both goals in Dortmund's 2-0 return-leg win at the Westfalenstadion, delivering a scare to the eventual champions.
Reus' future at Dortmund has been clouded by transfer rumors, and Real Madrid are consistently one of the clubs being linked with the German phenom.
Franz Beckenbauer suggested over the summer that Reus could join Los Galacticos in 2015, and one rumour even claimed that Real Madrid have the first option on the 25-year-old attacking midfielder, something that Dortmund's CEO referred to as "complete rubbish."
On Friday, Perez was asked about the club's pursuit of Reus, and his response did little in terms of reducing speculation.
"We follow Reus, like we follow other great players," Perez told Marca. "As coach, I wouldn't know who to remove to insert Reus."
It's believed that Reus' contract contains a buyout clause valued at €25 million, a figure that obviously presents no problem to a club like Real Madrid.