Sources: Man City to sell three key men in bid for top transfer target
03/30/2025 09:02 AM
Tijjani Reijnders will only sign for Manchester City this summer if they can free up space in their squad and shell out a £50million transfer fee, sources have told Football Insider.
City have identified Reijnders as a top target as Pep Guardiola looks to overhaul his squad at the Etihad Stadium, but the midfielder signing a new contract at AC Milan will complicate any potential pursuit.
Reijnders is seen as a player who would fit seamlessly into City’s midfield and provide the energy and creativity they’ve lacked this season, but his new deal with Milan doesn’t include a release clause either.
Guardiola will therefore need to stump a fee of at least £50m if the Blues are to get any deal over the line for Reijnders, and that pursuit will only be able to happen if he first offloads some existing City players.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider that De Bruyne is one key player who could be on the move this summer, potentially opening the door for Reijnders’ arrival.
Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva could join De Bruyne in heading for the exit door with all three having entered their thirties, and after a heavy January outlay, it remains to be seen how much Guardiola will have to spend this summer.
Tijjani Reijnders transfer key to Manchester City rebuild
Although it’ll be by no means easy to pluck Reijnders away from San Siro this summer, City doing so would provide the first step in a long-overdue rebuilding of Guardiola’s midfield at the Etihad Stadium.
Silva, Kovacic and De Bruyne may all be past their best, but the trio all departing in one fell swoop will leave a sizeable gap to fill in the engine room – one which even Reijnders can’t fulfil on his own.
City have been sniffing around other targets and are even linked with an approach for Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri, but it’s clear that buying already world-class quality like Reijnders will be the priority.
Man City squad set to be unrecognisable next season
Football Insider reported back in November that De Bruyne was on the radar of teams in the MLS, as well as the Saudi Pro League, and therefore City have had plenty of time to prepare for his departure.
Former Manchester United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider barely a month later that a “massive” summer rebuild was on the cards for City, and that’s now starting to take shape.
The January arrivals of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez have already helped to refresh the look of Guardiola’s squad, and expect Reijnders’ arrival – if such a deal is possible – to further facilitate the moving-on of several City veterans.
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