If a recent report from TuttoMercatoWeb is true, Manchester City are keeping tabs on AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders to solve their crisis in the centre of the pitch. Rodri, the SkyBlues’ Ballon d’Or-winning midfield ace, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September. He is now ruled out for the rest of the campaign, and his absence has had a severe impact, with no other outright ‘number six’ available for selection.
Pep Guardiola has enjoyed enormous success since plying his trade to England. But he lost the last four games across three competitions, something the Spaniard has never witnessed in his illustrious career. Although there are several crises all over the field, Rodri’s injury has left a massive void deep down the pitch.
While the gaffer has Matheus Nunes, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic among central midfield options, none has shown the traits the Spanish international has offered for years. His all-round ability, inimitable consistency, tactical awareness, technicality and vision make him a perfect fit for Guardiola’s swift-passing and possessional football.
Reijnders, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the prime transfer targets for the January window.
“We will see. We talked today with Txiki [Begiristain], we will see what’s going on. We don’t have to decide tomorrow, right? We have time to see the potential problems we will have and after we will see.”
Revealed the Man City boss (as quoted by The Mirror) a few weeks back, as he did not rule out the prospect of roping in a replacement.
Why Manchester City Should Snap Up Reijnders
The 26-year-old Netherlands international had a youth stint with homeland outfit PEC Zwolle before joining FC Twente’s academy ranks. Reijnders returned to his boyhood club five years later and eventually made his Eredivisie debut in 2017. He only appeared once for PEC Zwolle and was released as a free agent upon contract expiry.
However, a Bosman move to AZ Alkmaar changed his fortune. He initially appeared for their reserves in the Eerste Divisie but cemented a first-team status after returning from a brief loan spell at RKC Waalwijk in 2020. His emergence caught the attention of the Rossoneri who splashed a fee of around €20.5m to secure his services in the summer of 2023.
Manchester City are also monitoring Torino’s Samuele Ricci, but the profile of Reijnders suits them more given his efficiency as a deep-lying playmaker. They are yet to make an offer for the Dutch midfielder and it remains to be seen whether a transfer to Etihad takes place in the due course of time.
