Tijjani Reijnders could be set for a swift departure from Manchester City, with Nottingham Forest reportedly lining up a £55m move for the Dutch midfielder just a year after his arrival from AC Milan.
Reijnders, 28, arrived at Manchester City last summer with plenty of promise, and he began the season as a regular fixture in Pep Guardiola’s midfield, starting each of City’s opening nine Premier League fixtures.
But his involvement tailed off sharply as the campaign wore on, and he featured in only five of Guardiola’s final 14 league matches in charge.
Enzo Maresca has since taken the reins as Manchester City head coach, but there is little indication that the change in the dugout will improve Reijnders’ prospects.
City’s big-money capture of Elliot Anderson from Forest has added further competition in central midfield, leaving the Dutchman at risk of drifting even further down the pecking order.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Forest have identified Reijnders as a target this summer, with the Netherlands international said to be open to the move as he looks to establish himself as a key player elsewhere in the Premier League.
The same report claims a fee in the region of £55m could be enough to prise him away from the Etihad Stadium — a deal that would represent a healthy profit for City on the £46.5m they paid Milan for his signature only 12 months ago.
Reijnders had also been linked with a switch to Atletico Madrid earlier in the transfer window, but interest from Forest now appears to be gathering pace as the search for a long-term successor to Anderson in his engine room.
Why Nottingham Forest see Reijnders as the answer
Forest have already strengthened their midfield options this summer with the free transfer arrival of Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig, but the club are still working to fill the creative void left by Anderson’s departure to City.
Reijnders’ game bears clear similarities to Anderson’s, with both players prized for their ability to break defensive lines with incisive, forward-thinking passes — a trait the Dutchman demonstrated regularly during his time in Serie A with Milan.
Glasner is understood to favour a 3-4-2-1 system at the City Ground, and Reijnders’ range of passing would be well suited to unlocking defences by finding the two attacking midfielders operating between the lines, as well as picking out wing-backs pushing forward into space.
For Manchester City, any departure would free up space in an increasingly crowded midfield department, particularly with the club still working to add Lille and Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi to their ranks before the transfer window closes.
A deal of City’s reported £85.6m valuation for Bouaddi would represent one of several significant midfield moves at the Etihad this summer, and interest from Forest in Reijnders offers Maresca’s side a route to balancing the books.
What next for Reijnders?
Nothing is yet close to being finalised, but the picture emerging is of a player and a club with aligned interests. City open to cashing in on an asset who no longer fits the head coach’s plans, and Reijnders keen to find regular football at a Premier League club building momentum under Glasner.
Forest’s pursuit will be one to watch closely as the transfer window edges towards its climax, with both the futures of Reijnders and Bouaddi likely to shape how Manchester City’s midfield looks under Maresca heading into the new season.
