Tijjani Reijnders Al-Qadsiah Transfer: What City Confirmed
Manchester City announced on Wednesday that Tijjani Reijnders is leaving for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah on a permanent deal, subject to international clearance, according to Manchester City. BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports both reported the move as already completed, citing a £52m fee and a five-year contract with Al-Qadsiah, though neither figure appears in City's own statement, according to BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports.
The Tijjani Reijnders Al-Qadsiah transfer closes out one season at Manchester City for the 28-year-old Netherlands international, who arrived from AC Milan for a reported £46.5m in June 2025, per BBC Sport and Manchester City. Reijnders becomes the third midfielder to leave City this summer, following Rodri's £65m move to Barcelona and Bernardo Silva's free transfer to Real Madrid on contract expiry, according to BBC Sport.
Tijjani Reijnders' Al-Qadsiah transfer: confirmed departure, reported fee
What City has verified is specific but limited. The club's statement confirms a permanent departure pending international clearance and says Reijnders made 50 appearances and scored seven goals across last season, according to Manchester City.
The fee and contract length come from elsewhere. Both BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports report a £52m fee and a five-year deal with Al-Qadsiah, who are managed by Brendan Rodgers. Neither club has put those specific numbers on the record, so treat them as widely reported rather than officially confirmed.
If the reported £52m holds, it sits roughly £5.5m above the £46.5m City is said to have paid AC Milan 14 months earlier. That gap only compares headline transfer fees. It says nothing about wages, amortized transfer costs, or bonuses paid during Reijnders' time at the club, so it isn't evidence City turned a profit on the deal.
Six days earlier, The Times reported the move was being finalized, framing it as part of an ongoing "midfield shake-up" under Enzo Maresca. That confirms the departure fits a broader pattern of turnover at the club this summer. It doesn't explain why City decided to sell.
One season at Manchester City
On the field, Reijnders made 50 appearances and scored seven goals in his only season at City, including a goal on his Premier League debut in a 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2025, according to Manchester City. He also played a part in City's FA Cup and Carabao Cup wins during Pep Guardiola's final season in charge, per BBC Sport.
His standing under the new manager looks different. Maresca left Reijnders out of the squad entirely for City's 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal three days before the transfer was announced, per BBC Sport. That's a dated fact worth noting on its own; the supplied reporting doesn't explain the reasoning behind it.
The two sides of Reijnders' exit come through in different language. BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports describe him as having "struggled to make an impact" at City, while the club's director of football, Hugo Viana, called him "the perfect professional" who played "a very important part" in both cup runs, according to Manchester City. Reijnders himself said in City's announcement that he felt "incredibly privileged to play for Manchester City" and thanked fans for being "so warm and supportive" to him and his family.
Those facts aren't contradictory, just partial. A player can make 50 appearances, collect two trophies, leave on warm terms, and still be left out of a matchday squad before his exit. Taken together, the numbers, the club's praise, and the Community Shield omission suggest Reijnders contributed to City's season without holding a guaranteed place under Maresca. That reading comes from the timing of events, not a claim either club has made outright.
Reijnders leaves Manchester City with his international career intact. He has 35 caps for the Netherlands and started all three of his country's group-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup, though he was an unused substitute in their last-32 exit to Morocco, according to BBC Sport and Manchester City. His cap count and World Cup starts indicate he remains part of the Netherlands setup, though the supplied reporting says nothing about whether a move to Saudi Arabia could affect future call-ups.
Third midfielder out this summer
Reijnders' exit follows two other midfield departures at City this summer. Rodri completed a £65m move to Barcelona, and Bernardo Silva left on a free transfer to Real Madrid when his contract expired, according to BBC Sport. All three exits fall within City's transition from Guardiola to Maresca.
The supplied reports don't explain whether Maresca's tactical plans drove any of the three exits, and they don't identify an incoming midfield signing to replace the experience City is losing. That's a real gap in what's currently known, worth stating plainly rather than filling with speculation.
On the other side of the deal, Al-Qadsiah add a 28-year-old current international on a reported five-year contract, working under Brendan Rodgers, according to BBC Sport. That's a smaller story for readers following City's business, but a notable one for anyone tracking the Saudi league's recruitment of established European players.
What to watch next
Three things remain unresolved. City's statement still describes the move as pending international clearance rather than final. The £52m fee and five-year Al-Qadsiah contract are reported figures, not numbers either club has confirmed directly. And there's no word yet on an incoming midfield signing that would show how City intend to replace Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Reijnders.
Readers following the story should watch for an official update on the clearance process, direct confirmation of the fee from either club, and any City midfield signing that clarifies the rebuild. Until those land, Reijnders' season at City stands on its own numbers: 50 appearances, seven goals, two trophies, and a Community Shield omission that arrived just before the exit became official.