Tijjani Reijnders has become one of the most expensive Dutch footballers ever after agreeing a deal worth £60 million (€70 million) to join Manchester City.

The 26-year-old AC Milan midfielder will cost an initial £46.5 million (€55 million), with further payments for appearances and win bonuses.

“It’s a boy’s dream to play in the Premier League,” Reijnders said after signing a five-year contract at the English club. “Playing in the Premier League and at that intensity, I want to feel the energy.”

Reijnders arrives carrying high expectations that he can replace the Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, who won six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League during a decade at the club.

Reijnders spent five seasons at AZ Alkmaar, where he established himself as an atttacking midfielder and earned his first international call-up in June 2023, shortly before his move to Milan.

He won the most recent of his 23 caps in the Netherlands’ 2-0 won against Finland in a World Cup qualifier in Helsinki on Saturday.

Last season he was named as the best midfielder in Serie A, but the team as a whole underperformed, finishing eighth in the league and being knocked out of the Champions League by Feyenoord.

Reijnders’ transfer fee is the fourth biggest in history for a Dutch player, behind Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, who cost Barcelona €86 million when he moved from Ajax five years ago.

 

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