Tijjani Reijnders to play for Man City at Club World Cup despite announcement after deadline

The Dutch international midfielder says he’s “ecstatic” after completing his switch to the Premier League, and he will be in City’s squad for the Club World Cup in the USA

Manchester City have completed the signing of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for an initial fee of £46.6million.

The arrival of Reijnders takes City’s summer spending to £108.6m, following on from the signings of Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves for £31m and Rayan Cherki from Lyon for £31m, as well as goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli for a nominal fee.

Netherlands midfielder Reijnders has signed a five-year deal and is eligible to play for City in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US, which starts on Sunday.

The transfer was sealed before Tuesday’s 7pm Club World Cup transfer deadline, with the announcement held up because of Reijnders’ involvement in the Dutch squad which beat Malta 8-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

City’s swift work in the summer transfer market comes after chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak admitted the club were not “aggressive enough” in the same window last year.

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That failure, coupled with the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for almost the entire season to injury, saw City relinquish the Premier League title to Liverpool after winning it for a record four times in a row.

Although the first transfer window shut at 7pm on Tuesday, City completed the deal for Reijnders before then, meaning he is now their player and can join Pep Guardiola’s squad, which heads to the US later this week.

City were determined to get the bulk of their signings completed before they head off to the US and have been the most pro-active Premier League club in the window so far, on top of the £200m they spent on new arrivals in January.

Reijnders said: “I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City. City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities.

“Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years.

“It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it’s an inspiration to follow in their footsteps.

“I am really looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do.”

Director of Football Hugo Viana added: “He arrives here with extensive top level experience in Europe, both at club level as well as on the international stage with the Netherlands.

“Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.”

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