AC Milan are reportedly edging closer to reaching an agreement with Manchester City over the transfer of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
The 26-year-old has proven to be an excellent addition by the Rossoneri since his arrival from AZ Alkmaar in 2023, and he enjoyed a stand-out season last year despite the club’s disappointing campaign across the board.
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Reijnders bagged 15 goals and five assists in 54 appearances across all competitions, with his influence going beyond his goal contributions given his tireless work ethic, energy, tenacity and technical ability all made him a key figure in both phases of the game.
Unfortunately, it appears as though the Dutch international is now on the verge of leaving Milan, as Fabrizio Romano reports that the club is close to completing an agreement with Man City for the transfer of Reijnders to the Premier League side, while personal terms are already agreed which ticks off an important hurdle in negotiations.
It had previously been reported that Milan had rejected an offer in the region of €60m+ and so it will be interesting to see what the final offer that is accepted is worth, but there will be a great deal of disappointment and frustration over seeing Reijnders depart having established himself as a crucial presence in the side.
Should his touted move go through as now expected, sporting director Igli Tare and new boss Massimiliano Allegri will hopefully be armed with significant funds to reinvest back into strengthening the squad, and while they’ve yet to prove their ability to bring in top talent to improve this group, they will have a glaring void to fill in midfield with no Reijnders available.
Exits seemed inevitable this summer for Milan given how last season went and how it left us without European football, and so to balance the books, difficult decisions were likely always needed.
It’s undoubtedly a real shame that it looks as though it’s Reijnders who will have to be sacrificed, albeit he may well have pushed for the move himself too, and so it’s hoped that combined with other sales, we’ll have the financial strength and flexibility as well as space in the squad for Tare and Allegri to bring in reinforcements that suit his style of play and will help give us a clear identity and winning formula on the pitch moving forward.