Manchester City Cash in on Tijjani Reijnders as Saudi Move Accelerates
Manchester City have agreed a £51 million deal to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah, drawing a line under the Dutch midfielder’s brief, stop‑start stay at the Etihad.
The Independent reports that Reijnders has already settled personal terms with the Saudi club, clearing the way for a lucrative switch after just one season in English football. For City, it’s smart business: they bank a profit on a player signed from AC Milan for £46.5m last summer and push their outgoing transfer income to around £100m for this window.
Reijnders’ year in Manchester promised more than it ultimately delivered. Seven goals in 47 appearances across all competitions hinted at influence, and there were spells early on when he looked ready to lock down a regular role. Then the pecking order bit back.
Pep Guardiola consistently leaned on captain Bernardo Silva and midfield anchor Rodri as his preferred pairing in the middle. As the season wore on, Reijnders slipped from starter to option, from option to afterthought. Domestic interest arrived from Nottingham Forest, but the 26‑year‑old chose the money and project on offer in Saudi Arabia.
The timing of his departure comes amid a dramatic reshaping of City’s core. Silva has now left, and Rodri is being heavily linked with Barcelona, leaving a midfield that once felt untouchable suddenly exposed and in flux. The club’s response has been ruthless and expensive.
The £100m generated from exits — notably Reijnders, Nathan Ake to Fenerbahce and James Trafford to Leeds United — has handed City serious financial room to manoeuvre. They have already fired a statement back into the market with a stunning £116m move for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, a deal that underlines a clear shift towards retooling rather than tinkering.
Ake’s sale and Trafford’s permanent move only reinforce the strategy: trim established pieces, raise capital, and rebuild a squad that had leaned heavily on veterans over recent seasons. Sentiment has little place in this version of City. Reijnders, after just 12 months, is proof.
His exit is less about failure than fit. In a midfield being redesigned on the fly, he became expendable, a casualty of a new tactical vision and a club determined to refresh before decline can set in. City will immediately reinvest the Reijnders fee as they hunt a replacement capable of shaping the next iteration of their engine room.
Targets
- Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez has emerged as a surprise name on City’s list, a potential marquee addition from a domestic rival.
- Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi is also firmly under consideration as the recruitment team sweeps Europe for the right profile.
Reijnders heads for a new life in Saudi Arabia, wealthier and perhaps wiser after a whirlwind year in Manchester. City, meanwhile, are only halfway through their surgery. With money in the bank and holes in midfield, the next signing could define how long their dominance at the top can truly last.
