He only arrived last summer: Manchester City announce the second most expensive sale in the club's history
Manchester City have sold Tijjani Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah FC in Saudi Arabia. The two clubs announced this on Wednesday afternoon.
The reported transfer fee is 61 million euros. That makes Reijnders the second-most expensive sale in Manchester City's history behind Julian Alvarez, who joined Atletico Madrid in 2024 for 75 million.
City only signed Reijnders from AC Milan in 2025 for 55 million euros. After a decent first half of the season, the 28-year-old Netherlands midfielder spent most of the run-in on the bench. All told, Reijnders made 50 competitive appearances for City, scoring seven goals and supplying eight assists.
"It was an incredible privilege to play for Manchester City. I enjoyed every minute of my time here. From the moment I arrived, everyone at the club - players, coaches and staff - welcomed me so warmly and made me feel part of the Manchester City family," said Reijnders in his farewell. "I may be leaving the club, but Manchester City will always have a special place in my heart."
At Al-Qadsiah, Reijnders will reportedly earn 20 million euros a year. His contract runs until 2030, so total earnings of 80 million are possible. He will link up there with Mateo Retegui, Julian Weigl and Koen Casteels, among others. Brendan Rodgers is the coach at his new club.
Manchester City carry out major overhaul
Meanwhile, Reijnders' former club are undergoing a major overhaul this summer as part of the coaching change from Pep Guardiola to Enzo Maresca. Before Reijnders, long-serving key players Rodri, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones had already left. Omar Marmoush and Savinho have also been linked with moves to Tottenham Hotspur.
So far, though, City have been fairly restrained in the market in terms of arrivals. Apart from marquee signing Elliot Anderson, who joined from Nottingham Forest for 135 million, only the two talented left wingers Mathys Detourbet and Jeremy Monga, along with reserve goalkeepers Geronimo Rilli and Pierce Charles, have come in.
