Manchester City usually find themselves being linked with moves for numerous players in and outside the transfer windows.
In addition to having a reputation for signing players from fellow Premier League sides such as Jack Grealish, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic to name a few, City have also signed numerous players from clubs across Europe.
Since Rodri suffered a season-ending injury during Pep Guardiola’s side’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium back in September, the prospect of signing a midfield replacement in January has been discussed at the Manchester club.
Now though, with the next January transfer window on the horizon, some behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding someone the Blues have had their eyes on for a while.
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Man City tracking Tijjani Reijnders
A recent report from Calciomercato claims that City and fellow Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur, have been following AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders for months.
However, it’s also been claimed that the Italian club are aiming to get the midfielder to sign a new and improved contract to keep him where he is for the foreseeable future.
Frank Rijkaard is a big fan of Reijnders
After watching Milan beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu, Frank Rijkaard heaped praise on Reijnders – who scored the Italian side’s third goal of the night – saying this about him to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Milan Reports).
“I hope that Reijnders becomes one of the best midfielders in the world, but I sincerely believe he’s already on the right path.
“I really like his style of play. As time goes on, he’s becoming increasingly important for Milan. He can cover all roles in the midfield and shows his generosity: he never holds back from a run for the team and always gives his best.
“With the quality he has, he’s excellent at creating dangerous chances for his teammates and setting up the play well.”
Joining Milan back in the 2023 summer transfer window, the 26-year-old appeared in all but two of their games across all competitions last season, starting 44 of the 50 matches he featured in.
| Tijjani Reijnders | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played |
| Serie A | 45 | 4 | 6 | 3472 |
| Champions League | 10 | 3 | 0 | 839 |
| Europa League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 410 |
| Italy Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 153 |
This season has seen the Dutchman score four goals and deliver two assists in the 13 matches he’s played in across Serie A and the Champions League.
This makes it easy to see why City have had their eyes on Reijnders for the past months and why Milan are eager to get the midfielder to sign a new deal, even though his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2028.
