Tijjani Reijnders Completes £52m Move to Al-Qadsiah

Tijjani Reijnders’ brief Manchester City chapter is over. The Netherlands midfielder has completed a £52m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah, drawing a line under a one-season stay that never quite caught fire.

He arrived at the Etihad last summer from AC Milan for £46.5m, billed as another clever piece in Pep Guardiola’s evolving midfield. On paper, he delivered plenty: 50 appearances in all competitions, seven goals, and a hand in lifting both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in Guardiola’s final campaign.

On the pitch, though, he never became indispensable.

Reijnders featured regularly but floated around the edges of City’s strongest XI, a useful option rather than a pillar. The contrast with his international status was striking. At the 2026 World Cup, he started all three of the Netherlands’ group-stage matches, only to sit out as an unused substitute in their last-32 exit to Morocco.

His words on departure carried the tone of a player who knows the scale of the club he is leaving.

"I have been incredibly privileged to play for Manchester City, and I have relished every minute of my time here," he said. From day one, he added, players, coaches and staff made him feel part of the "Manchester City family", reserving a special thank you for supporters who were "so warm and supportive" to him and his family.

Yet the direction of travel was obvious. New manager Enzo Maresca omitted Reijnders from the squad for Sunday’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal, a blunt signal that the Dutchman sat outside his plans.

Al-Qadsiah, coached by former Liverpool and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, have moved decisively. Reijnders has reportedly signed a five-year contract, a long-term commitment that underlines the club’s ambition and the Saudi Pro League’s continued pull for established European names.

For City, it is another significant departure from a once star-studded midfield core. Rodri has already gone, completing a £65m move to Barcelona. Bernardo Silva followed him out of the door when his contract expired, joining Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Now Reijnders joins the exodus, and a position that once felt overstocked suddenly looks exposed. Maresca has inherited a serial-winning squad, but with three midfielders gone and Guardiola’s era consigned to history, the rebuild in the centre of the pitch is no longer theoretical. It is urgent.