Nottingham Forest's move for Tijjani Reijnders is gathering pace because Manchester City may be prepared to cash in after his first season at the club. The Dutch midfielder made 50 appearances in all competitions and still produced 7 goals and 8 assists, but he managed just 2 league starts from the start of February to the end of the campaign.
Forest see an opening in City's midfield plans
That is the window Forest are trying to exploit. Their interest comes as City are reported to want €64m for Reijnders after paying €55m to sign him from AC Milan last summer, which makes this a straightforward test of value for a player who was used heavily overall but not trusted as often in the league run-in.
Forest are not alone. Juventus and Galatasaray are also in the chase, so this is already a multi-club race rather than a simple Premier League move. Fabrizio Romano has described the situation as one where Forest are pushing, but the market is wide open enough for the price to shape everything.
The price and the competition
The interesting part is that Reijnders' debut season was not a failure in output terms. Fifty appearances, 7 goals and 8 assists is a strong first year by any normal standard, especially for a midfielder adjusting to a new club. The issue is selection, not production. Two league starts from February onwards is a sharp drop, and that is where the uncertainty around his role has started.
Manchester City do not need to sell for footballing reasons, but they have a number in mind. If the €64m asking price holds, Forest will have to decide whether they are buying a player at his peak value or paying for the upside of a midfielder City are willing to move on. Either way, the next move now belongs to the clubs around the table, with Juventus and Galatasaray already there as well.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
