Juventus have made contact with Manchester City to explore a possible deal for midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, as the Serie A giants look for alternatives with their pursuit of free agent Franck Kessié hitting a snag.
According to a report from Football Italia, which cited Tuttomercatoweb and La Stampa, Juventus have opened exploratory dialogue on two fronts: with Reijnders’ representatives, to establish whether the Dutchman would be open to a move to Turin, and separately with City, to gauge whether the Etihad club would consider sanctioning a loan exit.
There is understood to be no formal negotiation in place yet, though contact between the two parties is expected to continue in the coming days.
Reijnders arrived at City for around £47m from AC Milan last summer and made an encouraging start to life in the Premier League, but reports in Italy suggest the 27-year-old has since slipped down the pecking order at the Etihad.
His situation has not been helped by City’s summer overhaul under new head coach Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola after the Spaniard’s decade-long reign came to an end.
Should City be open to a temporary departure, it would represent a notable swing in fortunes for a player many City fans saw as a long-term successor in central midfield when he signed.
For now, though, there has been no indication from the City camp that a deal is imminent, and any move is likely to hinge on how Maresca assesses his midfield options as pre-season progresses.
Kessié’s patience wearing thin as Juve weigh options
Juventus’ interest in Reijnders has been sharpened by the increasingly complicated pursuit of Kessié, who has been a free agent since his contract at his previous club expired on 30 June.
The Ivorian midfielder, another former Milan player, is said to have edged closer to an agreement with Juventus in recent weeks, but has made clear he is unwilling to wait indefinitely for the move to be finalised and wants clarity over his future soon.
Adding to the complexity for Juventus is a congested midfield department that already numbers eight players under Luciano Spalletti, meaning at least one departure would likely be required before any fresh arrival, whether that is Kessié or Reijnders, could be sanctioned.
Leon Goretzka and Roma’s Davide Frattesi have also been mentioned as alternative targets, but Reijnders’ proven Premier League and Serie A pedigree, plus his familiarity with Italian football from his Milan days, is said to have caught Juventus’ eye.
For City supporters, the story is a reminder of how quickly circumstances can change for a player once considered undroppable.
Reijnders was a regular under Guardiola in the first half of last season, contributing goals from midfield and helping steady City’s engine room during a difficult title defence. Whether Maresca sees him in the same light remains to be seen, with the Italian still shaping his first City squad since returning to the club for a third spell.
City have not commented publicly on the reported approach, and it remains to be seen whether Juventus’ interest develops into a concrete offer.
A loan, rather than a permanent sale, appears to be the preferred route being explored from the Italian side, which would allow City to retain long-term control over the player’s future while easing the financial burden on Juventus, who are still working through their own squad restructuring this summer.
