Manchester City are very close to officially announcing the signing of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.
City have been pushing hard for the Dutch star over the last week as the English giants were keen to add the midfielder to their squad ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, and it was reported on Wednesday that everything is in place for Man City to complete the signing of Reijnders.
Throughout the last few months, the Manchester club have built up a good relationship with AC Milan, not only through the Reijnders deal, but also with Kyle Walker joining the Serie A club on loan in January.
Man City should now use this relationship to their advantage and hijack Chelsea’s pursuit of a key Milan star, who would be a great replacement for a big potential exit at the Etihad Stadium this summer.
Man City should hijack Chelsea’s move for Mike Maignan
Ben Jacobs reported on Tuesday that Mike Maignan is open to a move to Chelsea this summer following positive talks with the Premier League club, and he could be signed for just £20m-£25m ahead of the new season.
Milan missing out on Europe has presented the Blues with this “unexpected market opportunity” and Jacobs states that things could now move fast as the London club are expected to submit an offer.
This is a move Man City should consider hijacking as Maignan would be the perfect replacement for Ederson as the Brazilian’s future at the Etihad remains up in the air.
Pep Guardiola recently stated that Ederson would remain in Manchester next season, however, the Man City star is still open to a move to Saudi Arabia.
Should a big offer arrive from the Saudi Pro League, City are likely to accept it, but that is unlikely to happen before the FIFA Club World Cup, which is why Guardiola should pounce on the opportunity that has emerged out of AC Milan.
How Mike Maignan compares to Ederson
Maignan is considered by many as a better goalkeeper than Ederson, as the 29-year-old has emerged as one of the best shot-stoppers in the sport in recent years.
The two goalkeepers are similar in ways as both are very good with their feet, the Brazilian being the better of the two, while shot-stopping is not a problem for the duo, an area where the French international trumps the Man City star.
| Metric | Ederson | Mike Maignan |
| Saves (save percentage) | 54 (67.5%) | 99 (70.7%) |
| Goals conceded | 26 | 41 |
| Clean sheets | 10 | 12 |
| Errors leading to goals | 2 | 2 |
| Acted as a sweeper keeper | 23 | 24 |
| Pass accuracy | 86.3% | 84.7% |
| Accurate long balls | 139 | 204 |
| Long ball accucarcy | 57.9% | 50.1% |
| High claims | 13 | 26 |
The stats show that Maignan is just as capable with his feet as Ederson, which would be a big attraction for Guardiola, while the AC Milan star has performed better in several other areas than the Brazilian throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
With Man City needing a rebuild this summer, £25m for Maignan would allow Guardiola to address a key area with a quality player, while saving money to strengthen the other areas in his team needing attention.
The Manchester club should seriously consider hijacking Chelsea’s move for the AC Milan star; however, the biggest problem for City is time.
