Manchester City memorably missed out on Declan Rice to Arsenal in July 2023, in what was a well documented transfer saga.
Pep Guardiola even spoke about the interest publicly, saying: “For sure everybody knows City wanted him, we wanted him. At the end, Arsenal pushed more and wanted him more, maybe (Mikel) Arteta was more convincing than me, or the club itself, or their offer.”
Manchester City have since added Nico Gonzalez to the central midfield department, although that area remains in need of freshening up.
Kevin De Bruyne is leaving and, even if the Belgian was staying, he turns 34 in June, while Ilkay Gundogan is 35 in October and Mateo Kovacic only recently turned 31.
Now – however – a fresh face could be arriving at the Etihad Stadium soon, with Tijjani Reijnders tempted by a move to Manchester City.
How Tijjani Reijnders feels about joining Manchester City
Calciomercato now state that the Netherlands international will not force an exit from AC Milan this summer, but he is tempted to join Manchester City nonetheless.
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The Italian news outlet believe the Citizens are happy to put a €70m (£60m) offer on the table for Reijnders – who idolises De Bruyne – although AC Milan are hoping to receive more for the man born in Zwolle, as he has a lengthy contract at the San Siro which runs until June 2030.
Reijnders & Frimpong schrauben Spanien auseinander #NationsLeague #DAZNmoment pic.twitter.com/FVxJ6mU540
— DAZN DE (@DAZN_DE) March 20, 2025
Interestingly, Calciomercato add that the AC Milan No.14 – who FBref reveal is similar to Rice statistically – is not just an ordinary midfield target for Guardiola, but instead the primary option the Spaniard believes can transform his side.
Furthermore, it is said that talks are yet to begin between AC Milan and Manchester City, with no bid made so far, although it seems only a matter of time until discussions start.
AC Milan No.14 would be a superb Ilkay Gundogan replacement and a source of goals from midfield for Pep Guardiola
Reijnders and his father have been working on his finishing ability in front of goal, and it seems to have made an impact.
The 26-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided ten assists in 51 appearances across all competitions this season, including some finishes of real quality that you would usually see from an attacker, rather than a central midfielder.
Tijjani Reijnders finished first time after a perfect ball from Youssouf Fofana 🤝#VeronaMilan pic.twitter.com/X9Z6mpGP0R
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 21, 2024
Guardiola has a real issue when it comes to midfielders chipping in with goals – only Erling Haaland has hit double figures, with Phil Foden and Kovacic closest in pursuit with seven and six goals respectively.
Therefore, the signing of Reijnders could well be a transformative one for Manchester City if a deal can be agreed.