Nottingham Forest Eye Tijjani Reijnders Amid £55 Million Move

Nottingham Forest are testing Manchester City’s resolve over Tijjani Reijnders, with the Midlands club weighing up a bold £55 million move for the midfielder as the transfer deadline looms.

The Dutch international only arrived at the Etihad a year ago after an impressive stint at AC Milan, but his first season in England never truly ignited. Under Pep Guardiola he managed just 19 Premier League starts, a modest return for a player signed to operate at the heart of City’s midfield. Now, with his long-term role under question, the door has been nudged open.

Reijnders, according to reports, is ready to walk through it.

The 28-year-old is understood to be open to leaving Manchester in search of consistent first-team football after a frustrating debut campaign. Forest have sensed the opportunity. They are exploring a deal in the region of £55m to bring him to the City Ground, but City’s valuation remains a significant hurdle. The champions are thought to be holding out for closer to £60m.

That price tag has already shaped Reijnders’ market this summer. Atletico Madrid showed interest earlier in the window, only to back away when confronted with City’s stance. The fee was simply too steep for the Spanish side, and talks never advanced.

Forest, though, are in a very different financial position. The sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for up to £116m has dramatically altered their spending power. That record-breaking outgoing transfer has given Forest rare room to manoeuvre at the top end of the market, and Reijnders sits firmly in that bracket.

The question is whether he represents the right risk.

At 28, Reijnders is not a long-term project. He is a ready-made option, but one who has already shown signs of struggling to adapt to the Premier League’s pace and physicality. Committing around £55m to a player with an uncertain ceiling in English football is a sizeable gamble, even for a club freshly armed with significant funds.

Inside the Forest boardroom, that debate will be sharp. On one side, a proven international with Champions League experience, desperate to play, potentially available and keen on a fresh start. On the other, a hefty fee, limited resale value, and a mixed first year in the very league Forest are trying to climb.

The negotiation with City is likely to hinge on a narrow margin. A compromise somewhere between Forest’s proposed £55m and the £60m asking price would unlock the deal, but neither side appears inclined to blink too early. Time, and pressure, will do some of the work.

Forest do hold one clear advantage: Reijnders’ willingness to move. His openness to a new challenge gives them a strong platform if they decide to push ahead formally. At the City Ground, he would walk into a far more central role, the kind of responsibility and rhythm he has struggled to secure in Manchester.

For Forest, this is more than just another big-name target. It is a statement of intent about what they want to become after cashing in on Anderson. Do they turn that windfall into an established international midfielder fighting to prove himself again, or do they look elsewhere for younger, more speculative value?

The answer may define not only Reijnders’ next chapter, but the shape of Forest’s midfield for the seasons to come.