Tijjani Reijnders Joins Al-Qadsiah in €61 Million Transfer

Tijjani Reijnders’ Manchester City stay is over after just one season, with the Dutch midfielder sealing a blockbuster move to Al-Qadsiah for a reported €61 million fee.

The 26-year-old has signed a five-year deal in Saudi Arabia, where his total salary is expected to climb beyond €100m across the contract. Al-Qadsiah unveiled their new star with a slick presentation video on X, capped by Reijnders’ own declaration: “I'm a Dutch artist; I'm a Qadsiah man.”

He leaves England after 50 appearances in all competitions for City, collecting two domestic cups but never quite becoming untouchable in Pep Guardiola’s midfield rotation.

Milan’s masterstroke

City walk away with a modest profit on the €55m they paid AC Milan last summer. Milan, though, have hit the jackpot.

When the Italian club sold Reijnders in 2023, they built in up to €14m in performance-related add-ons. They also anticipated exactly this scenario. A key clause stated that if Manchester City sold him within the first year, they would owe the full €14m, regardless of whether he had met those performance targets – including lofty milestones such as Champions League glory or even the Ballon d'Or.

City pushed to get the deal over the line quickly. That urgency now comes at a cost. By sanctioning the transfer inside 12 months, they are obliged to trigger the entire add-on package.

That final payment drives Milan’s total take for Reijnders close to €70m. Italian reports note they initially paid around €13m to sign him from AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2023. The maths is brutal and brilliant: a profit of roughly €56m in just over a year.

New chapter in Saudi Arabia

For Reijnders, the next step is clear. He now joins up with fellow signing Mateo Retegui under manager Brendan Rodgers, as Al-Qadsiah gear up for their first-ever campaign in the AFC Champions League Elite.

The schedule offers no gentle introduction. Reijnders could make his debut as early as Friday, when Al-Qadsiah face Al-Ittihad in the second round of the Saudi Pro League. A year ago he was a high-end European project; now he arrives as the centrepiece of an ambitious Saudi side about to test itself on a continental stage.