His name was inherited from his parents’ admiration for former Nigerian striker Tijani Babangida. He’s a guaranteed starter under Ronald Koeman for the Dutch national team, with whom he enjoyed a brilliant Euro 2024, is 26 years old, joins from Milan in a $75m deal, openly admires City legend Kevin De Bruyne, and will now play under Pep Guardiola for the next five seasons – until 2030. In other words, Tijjani Reijnders is officially a Manchester City player. The club confirmed the news: “Welcome to City, Tijjani!”
After weeks of intense negotiations – and once the Sky Blues pulled out of the race for Florian Wirtz due to him making it crystal clear that he wanted to join Premier League champions Liverpool – City secured the signature of the now former Milan midfielder just in time for the Club World Cup. The investment, worth $59m fixed plus another $16m in add-ons, is as significant as it is necessary.
A few days ago, City announced that Mateo Kovačić had undergone surgery on an Achilles tendon injury, and his national team coach Zlatko Dalić confirmed he could be out for around three months. Meanwhile, Rodri Hernández is still regaining form after spending eight months sidelined and featuring for just seven minutes since his return.
Who is Reijnders?
Signed by Milan in 2023 from AZ Alkmaar for $20.5m, Reijnders extended his contract with the Italian club in March to run through 2030 – but that didn’t stop Manchester City from going all in to land the Dutchman. Last season, his second at San Siro, saw him firmly establish himself as one of Serie A’s top midfielders. He scored 15 goals and provided four assists across all competitions in 2024–25. The City new boy brings box-to-box energy and a knack for arriving in the opposition area, while also offering the composure and vision to dictate play from deep.
Big squad build from Guardiola
In short, his ability to break lines with both passes and movement makes him a natural partner for Rodri Hernández in the heart of midfield. Reijnders now becomes part of the ongoing rebuild City began last winter, when they spent more than $216m on Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis.
But the former Milan man won’t arrive alone at the Etihad. With the Club World Cup fast approaching, City have also confirmed the signings of Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. The $162m Liverpool appear ready to spend on Florian Wirtz? City may have just spent theirs a lot more wisely, although some might say they had more work to do... and The Reds’ squad is still notably cheaper.