Manchester City have contacted AC Milan to express an interest in signing Tijjani Reijnders.
Talks over a deal for the 26-year-old midfielder are at an early stage and a formal offer is yet to be sent, with City mindful of Milan’s focus on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final against Bologna.
But when dialogue between the clubs resumes, the Premier League side are hopeful that an agreement can be reached to recruit Reijnders.
The Dutch international is a key target for City to bolster at No.8, independent of their interest in Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
Pep Guardiola’s side strengthened in midfield in the winter transfer window with the signing of Nico Gonzalez from Porto, and have Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in September.
City are in the market for a new midfielder, with Kevin de Bruyne departing at the end of the season and Bernardo Silva linked with a move away.
The Athletic reported on April 8 that Nottingham Forest’s Gibbs-White and Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen are among the options City will consider this summer.
City’s new director of football Hugo Viana officially began his job in April, and City were not intending to prioritise transfer targets until he had fully started his role.
Reijnders signed for Milan in 2023 and has made 101 appearances for the club. He has played 51 games this season, helping Milan win the Supercoppa Italiana in January. He has provided 10 goals and 5 assists in all competitions this campaign and has the opportunity to win the second trophy of his career on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final against Bologna.
The 26-year-old signed a new contract with the club until 2030 earlier this year.
Prior to moving to Milan, he spent five years with AZ in his native Netherlands, making 128 appearances for the team.
Reijnders has been capped 22 times by the Dutch national side, making his debut in 2023. He was part of the side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where they were defeated 2-1 by England.
Despite Milan’s success in Italy’s cup competitions, they have struggled in the league and are eighth in the Serie A table. The club parted ways with head coach Paulo Fonseca in late December and replaced him with former Porto manager Sergio Conceicao.
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