Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca | Man City
Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah are in advanced talks with Manchester City over the signing of Tijjani Reijnders, GIVEMESPORT understands, with the two clubs confident a deal will be concluded.
New City boss Enzo Maresca has made only slight changes to the squad he inherited from Pep Guardiola so far this summer, with Elliot Anderson the big arrival in a £116million deal from Nottingham Forest.
Five players have departed the Etihad Stadium - two on free transfers after their contracts expired - but there could be more upheaval with Reijnders on the way out and Barcelona attempting to sign Rodri.
Signing Position Price tag Signed from
Elliot Anderson Midfielder £116m Nottingham Forest
Geronimo Rulli Goalkeeper £2m Marseille
Jeremy Monga Midfielder £12.5m Leicester City
Mathys Detourbet Winger £21.5m Troyes
Pierce Charles Goalkeeper £3m Sheffield Wednesday
Departure Position Price tag Sold to
Bernardo Silva Midfielder Free Real Madrid
John Stones Defender Free Inter Milan
Nathan Ake Defender £7m Fenerbahce
James Trafford Goalkeeper £40m Leeds United
Manuel Akanji Defender £13m Inter Milan
Sverre Nypan Midfielder Loan Lommel
Dutchman Reijnders only arrived at the Etihad in a £46million deal last summer and had initially looked to be a quality signing for Guardiola after hitting the ground running on his debut.
Reijnders scored one and assisted one in an opening day win over Wolves, but failed to live up to that early hype. He would go on to score four more Premier League goals, and grab one more assist, with two more goals and six more assists coming in other competitions.
After starting the opening nine fixtures of the 2025/26 Premier League season, Reijnders would only start 10 others under Guardiola, and only managed 215 minutes of top-flight football in the final four months of the season.
Qadsiah believe Reijnders is a 'world-class' signing
Tijjani Reijnders after getting fouled whilst in action for Manchester City against Arsenal
The midfielder is now set to depart the Etihad Stadium after just one year with the club, with City set to make a £5million profit on a player who never quite fit in. A deal is in place for Al-Qadsiah to pay a fee in the region of €60million (£51million).
GMS understands that the Saudi side view Reijnders as a world-class and peak age player - he is 28 years old - with Qadsiah keen to strengthen in midfield ahead of their first Asian Champions League campaign.
Reijnders played predominantly in central midfield under Guardiola last season, although he was also deployed on the left-hand side and even played up front in the final game of the season against Aston Villa.
Having only spent one year in England, he will no doubt go down as a flop signing, but he actually average a goal contribution every 187 minutes on the pitch.
The 28-year-old started every group game clash for the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup, but was an unused substitute as they lost to Morocco in the round of 32.
Reijnders stats for Man City:
Appearances: 47 (31 starts)
Goals: 7
Assists: 8