Staying up is Dortmund's only mission this season: Watzke

Berlin: Avoiding relegation is the only thing that matters for Borussia Dortmund despite continuing hopes in the Champions League and German Cup, chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Wednesday.

The 2011 and 2012 German champions, who also reached the 2013 Champions League final, have imploded this season and are in 17th place, level on points with last-placed Freiburg.

"The mission is clear. Our aim is to stay up and in such a way that it can be seen as a good performance in hindsight," Watzke told reporters at the team`s training camp in Spain.

"We will not deal with any other issues, especially those coming from outside."

One of the issues constantly in the headlines is the future of winger Marco Reus, back in training following an ankle injury he sustained in November.

The Germany international, who had an injury-plagued 2014 that also saw him miss the World Cup, has a buyout clause in his contract with Dortmund that has attracted the interest of several top European clubs.

He has, however, yet to announce a decision.

"I can understand Marco. He first wants to play again and then he wants to see which direction to take," Watzke said.

"I have a legitimate hope that he will stay for the long term. If not it is something we will have to accept."

Dortmund, still contenders for the German Cup, have lost 10 of their 17 league games so far and have picked up just 15 points despite qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16 where they face Juventus next month.

They have boosted their frontline with attacking midfielder Kevin Kampl this month but Watzke said any more transfer deals in the winter were unlikely.

"Not likely but not impossible," he said.

The Bundesliga resumes on Jan. 30.