Tijjani Reijnders at Genoa vs AC Milan
Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan looks set to join Man City
Manchester City have reportedly sealed a £46.3million deal to bring AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders to the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's side have acted swiftly to bolster their midfield, seemingly beating rivals Manchester United and Chelsea to secure the signature of the 26-year-old Dutch international. It was earlier reported that personal terms were verbally agreed this week, and now an agreement has been reached between the two clubs, with some sources suggesting the total fee could escalate to £59million.
Reijnders is set to ink a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium and will undergo a medical. The Sky Blues aim to finalise the deal for the midfielder before the Club World Cup kicks off on June 14.
With Rodri out for most of the season, Guardiola chose not to field £50million January recruit Nico Gonzalez or £53million signing Matheus Nunes in central midfield for the FA Cup final loss against Crystal Palace, instead deploying attacking midfielders Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in deeper roles, reports the Daily Star.
Clearly, Guardiola was dissatisfied with his midfield options, and with De Bruyne set to depart as a free agent at the end of his contract, the Spanish manager has moved promptly to secure another option.
Reijnders was one of AC Milan's standout performers in Serie A last season, netting 10 goals and providing five assists despite the Rossoneri failing to qualify for European football next season. The 22-cap Netherlands international made the move to Milan in 2023 from AZ Alkmaar for less than £20million.
It has been reported that Chelsea were interested in signing Reijnders, although the Blues do have plenty of options in the middle of the park. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez were Enzo Maresca's preferred pair come the end of the season, although Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Mathis Amougou are also options for the Italian.