Tijjani Reijnders is suddenly at the centre of a transfer chain that says a lot about Manchester City’s summer planning. The 27-year-old only joined from AC Milan in June 2025 for around £46 million, but reports now suggest Galatasaray are monitoring him and could move if City decide to let him go.
That possibility matters because it is not being discussed in isolation. City’s pursuit of Ayyoub Bouaddi is part of the same picture, and the report links Reijnders’ future directly to whether Hugo Viana can complete that deal from Lille.
Why the move could happen
The simplest reading is that City do not yet view Reijnders as fully settled in the role they expected. The report says he did not fully establish consistent influence in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, which is a significant note for a player who arrived with strong credentials after being named Serie A’s Best Midfielder in the 2024-25 campaign.
If that assessment holds, then the logic is straightforward: City may be willing to reshape the midfield if a younger option comes in. Bouaddi is only 18, and the report says he could initially return to Lille on loan, which suggests City would not be forcing an immediate replacement into the team. Instead, they would be managing the next phase of the squad build with more flexibility.
What Galatasaray are watching
For Galatasaray, the attraction is obvious. Reijnders remains a high-level midfield name, and a potential opening at Manchester City makes the situation worth tracking. The current report says they are monitoring him, but it does not go further than that, so there is no indication here that a formal move is already underway.
Still, the broader message is clear. A midfielder who arrived only last summer is already being discussed as a possible departure, and that only happens when a club sees a chance to improve the squad elsewhere. In this case, the next step depends on whether City can finish the Bouaddi deal and decide Reijnders is expendable.
That makes this less about a single player and more about squad sequencing. If Bouaddi arrives, Reijnders’ future becomes more vulnerable. If the move stalls, the Dutch midfielder may yet get more time to prove that his first season at the Etihad was only a slow start rather than a sign of a deeper mismatch.
