Manchester City are on the verge of completing the departure of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, with a £52 million deal in place to send the Dutch international to Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah.
The move represents a substantial profit for City, who paid AC Milan £46.5 million for Reijnders' services last summer. His time at the Etihad Stadium, however, did not go entirely to plan, and his exit now looks set to close a short and mixed chapter in his career in Manchester.
Reijnders arrived with plenty of promise and began his first season under Pep Guardiola in encouraging fashion, but his form tailed off as the campaign progressed. In what proved to be Guardiola's final season in charge, the 28-year-old managed just seven goals from 47 appearances across all competitions, numbers that fell short of the impact many expected when he signed.
Signs that a move away was imminent emerged on Thursday, when Reijnders trained separately from City's first-team squad, a common indicator that a transfer is close to being finalized. Should the deal go through, he will link up with a familiar face in Saudi Arabia, as Al-Qadsiah are managed by Brendan Rodgers, the former Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City boss.
Reijnders' expected exit is being viewed as part of a wider restructuring of City's midfield options this summer. The club are already facing uncertainty over the long-term future of Rodri, who was named player of the tournament at the World Cup, while there is also reported interest in bringing in Chelsea and Argentina international Enzo Fernandez. Together, these developments point toward a significant shake-up of Guardiola's successor's midfield department as City look to reshape the squad following a season that fell short of their usual standards.
On the international stage, Reijnders was a regular fixture for the Netherlands during their 2026 World Cup campaign, making three appearances in the tournament. He started in group-stage matches against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia as the Dutch looked to progress through their section. However, he was left out of the starting lineup for the last-32 clash with Morocco, a match the Netherlands ultimately lost on penalties, ending their tournament run.
The timing of his proposed transfer means Reijnders will now embark on a new challenge in Saudi Arabia just months after that World Cup exit, joining a Saudi Pro League that continues to attract high-profile talent from Europe's top leagues. For Al-Qadsiah, the signing would represent another marquee addition as the club continues to build a squad capable of competing at the top end of Saudi football under Rodgers' guidance.
For City, the sale allows the club to recoup a healthy fee on a player who never quite established himself as a guaranteed starter, while simultaneously freeing up space and resources to pursue further midfield reinforcements. With Rodri's future still unresolved and interest in Fernandez growing, this transfer window appears set to bring considerable change to the heart of City's team as they look to rebuild following a difficult season and the end of the Guardiola era.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.