Tijjani Reijnders: Manchester City Cashes In on £52m Transfer

Manchester City are ready to cash in on Tijjani Reijnders, agreeing a £52m deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah that will end the Dutchman’s stay at the Etihad after just one season.

Reijnders arrived only last summer from AC Milan, a headline signing off the back of a glittering year in Italy that saw him crowned Serie A’s Best Midfielder for 2024/25. City paid £46.5m to bring him in, a move that felt like another long-term piece in Pep Guardiola’s evolving midfield.

Instead, it’s over almost as soon as it began.

His time in England has been short, his impact ultimately not enough to secure a prolonged future in a squad stacked with options. City will still turn a profit, though, with Al-Qadsiah paying more than the fee the Premier League champions originally laid out.

Reijnders now joins a curious group: big-name, big-money arrivals in England who barely had time to unpack before being moved on.

One-season statement signings that didn’t stick

Hernan Crespo – Chelsea’s brief superstar

When Roman Abramovich’s money first surged into Chelsea in 2003, Hernan Crespo was the headline act. The Argentine striker had already broken the world transfer record when he left Parma for Lazio, then spent a season at Inter Milan before landing in west London.

Crespo scored 12 goals in 31 games in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. Sharp movement, ruthless finishing, a striker of genuine world-class pedigree. Yet Chelsea were already shifting shape.

Didier Drogba arrived from Marseille the following summer and Crespo was pushed aside. Chelsea sent him on loan to AC Milan, a marquee forward effectively sacrificed to make room for the new spearhead of José Mourinho’s project.

Crespo did return in 2005/06 and played his part in Chelsea’s Premier League title triumph, but the relationship never settled. He left again that summer, this time back to Inter, his Chelsea career reduced to flashes rather than a lasting legacy.

Angel Di Maria – record fee, rapid exit

Manchester United went big for Angel Di Maria in 2014, smashing the British transfer record to prise him from Real Madrid. The club had just endured a grim first season after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement under David Moyes and turned to Louis van Gaal with a statement signing to reset the narrative.

Di Maria arrived as a Champions League winner, fresh from driving Real Madrid to European glory. He started like a superstar too, lighting up early games with his pace and invention.

Then it all fell apart.

He struggled to settle at Old Trafford, his form dipped, and his relationship with Van Gaal deteriorated. Di Maria later spoke openly about the breakdown, recalling how the Dutchman repeatedly highlighted his mistakes and rarely his strengths, a cycle that drained his enthusiasm.

Off the pitch, life in Manchester never clicked for him. The early darkness, the cold, and a break-in at his home compounded the sense of unease. He admitted the combination of poor form, internal problems at the club and family concerns made him “hate being there”.

United cut their losses after a single season, selling him to Paris Saint-Germain at a £15.7m loss. In Paris he stayed for years, underlining that the player was never the problem in isolation; the fit at United simply never worked.

Christian Benteke – Liverpool’s short-lived focal point

Christian Benteke arrived at Liverpool as their record signing, the club triggering his £32.5m release clause at Aston Villa. At Villa Park he had been a powerhouse, scoring 49 goals in 101 games and terrorising defences with his aerial dominance and physical presence.

He started promisingly at Anfield, marking his home debut with the winner against Bournemouth. The move looked logical on paper: a proven Premier League goalscorer leading the line for a club in transition.

The story, though, followed a familiar pattern. Big fee. Big expectation. Limited time to prove he was the right man.

Reijnders now stands on that same uneasy line between marquee arrival and fleeting memory. City move on, richer in the balance sheet if not necessarily in continuity, while Al-Qadsiah get a midfielder still in his prime, decorated in Italy and with a point to prove.

The question is simple: will this be the move that finally lets his talent breathe, or just another expensive stop on a restless career path?