Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan
Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan (Image: 2025 AC Milan)
Manchester City will continue their rebuild in the transfer market this summer after a busy January transfer window.
Pep Guardiola began his latest City revolution with the signings of defenders Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah, as well as Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.
Midfielder Nico Gonzalez also arrived from Porto but heading into the summer the midfield remains a glaring transfer priority for City.
They will, of course, be bolstered by the return of Rodri as the Ballon d'Or winner makes his way back from his cruciate knee ligament injury next term.
City's other current options at the base of midfield - Mateo Kovacic (31) and Ilkay Gundogan (34) - are both the 'wrong side' of 30 and Guardiola will be keen to bring in a younger alternative in the middle of the park.
So there wasn't a great deal of surprise to see City linked with a move for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders this week.
The Dutchman moved to Italy in the summer of 2023 and has established himself as a key player for the Rossoneri.
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The 26-year-old has gained Champions League experience at the San Siro and could add the Coppa Italia trophy to the Supercoppa Italiana trophy he won earlier this season, when Milan take on Bologna in the final this evening.
But before he made the move to Milan, he was part of an AZ Alkmaar side that regularly punched above their weight.
Pascal Jansen was his manager at AZ Alkmaar and he believes Reijnders can surpass Rodri and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham to become the best midfielder in the world.
“He never stopped, I had to tell him to stay calm and not chase everyone," Jansen said.
"It’s not a figure of speech, I assure you. The impressive thing is that not only did he run everywhere but he did it without losing clarity and quality.
“For me, Reijnders is among the best in the world, ahead of him at the moment perhaps only Rodri and Bellingham, but he can surpass them."
He could be the perfect midfielder for Guardiola this summer. Reijnders can operate as a defensive midfielder or as a 'traditional number eight' and together with Rodri could form the base of their midfield next season.
But he won't come cheap. AC Milan are said to be holding out for more money than the £57million it took Newcastle United to prise away Sandro Tonali two years ago - ironically the player Reijnders replaced.
City are also keen to sign one of Florian Wirtz or Morgan Gibbs-White in a more advanced midfield position with both players expected to cost north of £100million.
Whether City will countenance two signings of that expense remains to be seen but the qualities that Jansen has described may make the hefty fee for Reijnders a price worth paying.