Chelsea are now the surprise front runners in the race for Borussia Dortmund’s German star Marco Reus, as reported by the Daily Star.

The Blues were said to have lined up a contract for Reus that would make him the club’s second highest paid star if he arrived, just behind club captain John Terry.

Reus’ future has been increasingly speculated about recently, given that a clause in his contract activates at the end of the current season.

This would allow him to depart for far less than his true value, which means other clubs might be able to sign him from Borussia Dortmund despite the fact that they aren’t keen to lose him.

While Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been chasing Reus for an extended period of time, reports in Spain now suggest that Chelsea are leading the chase.

This could be down to the huge salary on offer.

Spanish newspaper Marca believe that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is closing in on his signature despite interest from Real Madrid.

Chelsea have offered Marco Reus a huge £153,000 a week deal to sign with them, hoping to fend off significant interest from fellow Premier League sides and sign the German international, as reported by the Daily Star.

The Borussia Dortmund man is one of the most highly targeted players in Europe due to a release clause written into his contract.

Should Reus not agree a new deal with the German side before the summer, he can move elsewhere for only £19.7 million.

While the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all targeted Reus in recent months, there has also been significant interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Chelsea are, however, not keen to see the player join their Premier League rivals, and as a result, have offered him a staggering £153,000 a week contract to bring him in.

This will put him on a similar salary to club captain John Terry.