Manchester City have completed the signing of Dutch international midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for a reported fee of £46.3 million ($62.4 million), the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 26-year-old will be eligible to feature in City’s squad for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Reijnders, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023, impressed during the 2024/25 season with 15 goals and solid performances in Serie A. Expressing his excitement, he said: “I’m ecstatic to be signing for Pep Guardiola’s side.”
The move makes Reijnders City’s fourth signing in a busy transfer week. On Tuesday, the Premier League giants announced deals for midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea. Earlier, on Monday, left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri arrived from Wolves.
City’s transfer activity comes as part of a wider squad rebuild, following a disappointing 2024/25 season in which they finished third in the Premier League and exited the Champions League early, ending a run of four consecutive league titles.
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak acknowledged the club’s lack of urgency in the previous window, admitting: “We probably should have been more aggressive in the transfer market ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.”
Director of football Hugo Viana praised the new signing, stating: “We are very happy that Tijjani has joined us and we’re excited for him to join Pep’s squad. He arrives here with extensive top-level experience in Europe, both at club level as well as on the international stage with the Netherlands. Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.”
Reijnders joins a growing list of new faces at the Etihad, continuing a transformation that began in January with the signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis.
Manchester City, who won the Club World Cup under its previous format two years ago in Saudi Arabia, will defend their title in the tournament’s new expanded 32-team version. They begin their campaign against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca on June 18 in Philadelphia.
AFP
