Tijjani Reijnders Joins Al-Qadsiah for €61 Million
Al-Qadsiah have pulled off another statement signing, prising Tijjani Reijnders away from Manchester City in a deal worth €61 million and handing the Dutch midfielder a five-year contract that will earn him more than €100m in total.
The Saudi club unveiled their new star with a slick presentation video on X. Reijnders, smiling into the camera, delivered the line that will follow him for a while yet: “I’m a Dutch artist; I’m a Qadsiah man.” It was a clean break with England after just one season, 50 appearances in all competitions and two domestic cups added to City’s bulging trophy cabinet.
Milan’s masterstroke
City can point to a tidy piece of business on paper. They bought Reijnders for €55m a year ago and have now moved him on for €61m. But the real winners sit in Milan.
When Milan sold the midfielder last summer, they did not just bank the initial fee. They built in up to €14m in performance-related add-ons and, crucially, a protection clause that has now turned into a windfall. Anticipating that City might not keep Reijnders long, the Italian club insisted that if he was sold within the first year, the entire €14m package would become due, no matter what.
No Champions League triumph? No Ballon d’Or? It doesn’t matter. By pushing to close the deal quickly, City triggered the clause and are now legally obliged to pay Milan the full amount.
That final payment drives Milan’s total take for Reijnders up to almost €70m. For a player they reportedly signed from AZ Alkmaar for around €13m in the summer of 2023, it represents a remarkable profit of roughly €56m in just over a year. One smart clause, one huge payoff.
New chapter in Saudi Arabia
For Reijnders, the story now moves to the Gulf. He links up with fellow new arrival Mateo Retegui and works under Brendan Rodgers, who has been tasked with turning Al-Qadsiah into a force at home and on the continent.
The club are gearing up for their first-ever campaign in the AFC Champions League Elite, a step up in profile and expectation. The Dutch midfielder is expected to sit at the heart of that project, the tempo-setter and creator around whom Rodgers can build.
He may not have to wait long to start earning that salary. Reijnders could make his debut as early as Friday, when Al-Qadsiah face Al-Ittihad in the second round of the Saudi Pro League — the first glimpse of the “Dutch artist” on a very different stage.
