Setting their sights on midfield reinforcements, Manchester City are now reportedly prepared to pay more than initially planned to win the race for one particular Serie A star this summer.

Man City eyeing midfield overhaul

Having already commenced their rebuild by welcoming Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Juma Bah and Nico Gonzalez in the January transfer window, Manchester City look set to pick up where they left off this summer.

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By
Ben Gray

Mar 21, 2025

For the first time since Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge, an overhaul is certainly needed. The Citizens find themselves fifth in the Premier League, suffocating from a squad full of injuries and, ultimately, a squad full of players beginning to creep past their best years.

That said, the exit door is likely to swing open in ruthless fashion at the Etihad – starting with Kevin De Bruyne. The modern-day Premier League legend is out of contract this summer and looks unlikely to put pen to paper on a fresh deal before he departs as a free agent.

His exit may just be the beginning of midfield change, given recent links to Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga and now one of Serie A’s most talented players in the middle of the park.

According to TEAMtalk, Manchester City are now prepared to pay more than initially planned to sign Tijjani Reijnders this summer. Having initially set aside €50m (£42m) for the Dutchman’s signature, the Citizens are now reportedly prepared to pay as much as €60m (£50m) to welcome him to the Etihad this summer.

"Immense" Reijnders is stronger than De Bruyne

At his best, there is a very strong argument that De Bruyne is the best midfielder in Premier League history. He ticked every box. He had that unmatched passing ability, an engine to drive Guardiola’s side to victory when they needed it most and the intelligence to more than play his part out of possession.

In 2025, however, the Belgian crucially no longer has that engine and is at risk of being overrun if Manchester City fail to protect that weakness. His intelligence and passing range undoubtedly remain, but Guardiola must simply move on from the Belgian after another campaign of frustrating injury blows. And that’s where Reijnders could come in.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)	Tijjani Reijnders	Kevin De Bruyne
Minutes	2,318	1,103
Tackles won P90	0.47	0.41
Goals	9	2
Interceptions P90	1.09	0.41

Looking at the numbers, U23 scout Antonio Mango was right to label Reijnders an “immense signing” for Milan in 2023. The Dutchman has been excellent once again in the current campaign, even providing a goalscoring threat with nine goals to his name.

If Manchester City are to overhaul their midfield, then the Milan star should sit among the top contenders to arrive this summer.