Manchester City head into the international break on the back of four successive defeats, with Pep Guardiola’s side struggling in the absence of key midfielder Rodri
Manchester City are weighing up a move for AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders to help solve their growing crisis.
City have been without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri since early September, with the Spanish midfielder having torn his ACL in their Premier League clash with Arsenal. His absence has already proved a significantly blow to Pep Guardiola’s side, who’ve lost their last four games across three different competitions.
Without a recognised No.6 available to him, Guardiola is searching for solutions in the January transfer window. Dutch midfielder Reijnders, 26, has emerged as a target for City, who’ve reportedly ‘tested the waters’ for a move.
Guardiola views Reijnders, who joined Milan from AZ Alkmaar for €20million (£16.5m) in July 2023, as an ‘ideal player’ for his style. Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb state that City have a strong interest in the Netherlands international but haven’t made a move.
Guardiola hasn’t ruled out signing a replacement for Rodri, saying in September: “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.”
Torino and Italy’s Samuele Ricci has also been identified as an alternative to Reijnders, who’s happy in Milan and is set to be offered a new deal which would keep him at the club until 2030, having scored in their recent 3-1 win away to Real Madrid. The 26-year-old’s father, Martin, recently revealed that he advised his son to reject Barcelona last year, having been tipped to replace Sergio Busquets.
“I advised my son to refuse Barcelona, there he would have been a reserve and there was the risk of failure like many others,” he told Dutch newspaper Algemen Dagblad. “There were also requests from English clubs, but I only spoke to them through intermediaries.
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“Only with Barcelona did I have direct contact, speaking to the technical director Deco. I checked his profile photo to verify that it was really him.
“Clearly we were pleased with Barcelona’s interest – continues Reijnders’ father – but they were looking for a replacement for Busquets and I immediately told my son that he is not that type of player, he doesn’t have the characteristics they wanted. And before he knew it, he would have ended up straight on the bench. Becoming yet another player who fails abroad.”
Martin Zubimendi, who Liverpool tried to sign in the summer transfer window, has also been linked with a move to City. The Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder has a release clause worth €60m (£49.6m).
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