The Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders is coming from AC Milan and is supposed to replace the Belgian Kevin de Bruyne in Pep Guardiola’s midfield. It is not the first new addition for the Skyblues.
Manchester City has finalized its fourth summer transfer just days before its opening match at the Club World Cup in the USA.
Following the Algerian left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolverhampton) and the French playmaker Rayan Cherki (Lyon), the Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan is also joining the English top club.
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Reijnders signs for five years
The 26-year-old midfielder signed a five-year contract and is expected to be the most expensive of the trio of new additions. According to media reports, City is paying a transfer fee of 46.3 million pounds (approximately 55 million) for Reijnders.
Ait Nouri and Cherki are also said to have cost more than 40 million euros including bonuses. In addition, the English goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli arrived this week.
Reijnders is expected to play a key role in the central midfield of coach Pep Guardiola after the departure of the Belgian Kevin de Bruyne. Last season, he scored 15 goals in Italy. Reijnders describes the Premier League as a “dream”, City is “one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and excellent equipment.”
Already in January, Manchester had spent more than 200 million euros for a quartet around the ex-Frankfurt player Omar Marmoush. After a season without a title so far, the investments are supposed to serve one goal: The return to the top in the Premier League and in Europe. Guardiola’s team had been dethroned by FC Liverpool in the domestic league. In the Champions League, City was eliminated in the play-offs for the round of 16.
At the Club World Cup, the team will face the Moroccan club Wydad AC and Al Ain FC from the United Arab Emirates in the group stage, which begins on June 14, before continuing in the duel of European heavyweights with Juventus Turin. Ait-Nouri, Cherki and Reijnders are eligible to play in the USA.