Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus has reportedly been fined nearly half a million pounds as a result of driving without a licence.

The 25-year-old, who has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent weeks, is also alleged to have been stopped by police on at least five occasions in the last few years due to speeding.

A report in German publication Bild claims that Reus was handed a hefty fine of £427,000 after it emerged that he had committed the offences.

"I decided back then to take that road but the reasons I did it are something I cannot really understand today," the Dortmund forward said. "Today I know that I was too naive and that it was stupid. I have learned my lesson and this will not happen again."

Reus missed Germany's World Cup triumph earlier this year due to an injury sustained prior to the tournament.