Tijjani Reijnders Set for £52m Move to Al-Qadsiah
Manchester City are ready to cash in on Tijjani Reijnders, with the Dutch midfielder set for a £52m move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah after just one season at the Etihad.
Reijnders arrived last summer from AC Milan as one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders, fresh from being named Serie A’s Best Midfielder for the 2024/25 campaign. City paid £46.5m to bring him in, a deal that underlined their intent to refresh an already star-studded engine room.
Twelve months on, his time in England is already winding down.
The 26-year-old’s spell has been short and, in truth, never quite settled into the rhythm many expected. Now City stand to make a profit on a player they only signed last year, as the Saudi project continues to lure high-profile names away from Europe’s elite.
Reijnders’ swift exit places him in a curious Premier League club: the big-money arrival moved on after just a single season.
Crespo: The first wave of the new Chelsea
Hernan Crespo knew all about blockbuster transfers long before he landed in London.
By the time he joined Chelsea in the summer of 2003, the Argentine had already been a world transfer-record signing for Lazio and had spent a season at Inter Milan. Roman Abramovich’s takeover turned that Chelsea window into a statement of intent, and Crespo was arguably the headline act.
On the pitch, he did not flop. Far from it. Crespo scored 12 goals in 31 appearances in his debut season, a respectable return in a new league and a new country.
But Chelsea’s revolution did not slow down. The following summer, Didier Drogba arrived from Marseille, and the club chose a different focal point for their attack. Crespo was moved out on loan to AC Milan, his Chelsea career paused just as it had begun to find some shape.
He returned for the 2005/06 season and played his part as Chelsea powered to the Premier League title. Even that revival proved temporary. At the end of the campaign, he left again, this time heading back to Inter. Two spells, one title, no real sense of permanence.
Di Maria: A record fee and a rapid escape
Angel Di Maria’s move to Manchester United in 2014 was supposed to signal a new era.
United, still reeling from the post-Sir Alex Ferguson slump and a dismal first season under David Moyes, broke the British transfer record to prise the Argentine winger from Real Madrid. He arrived as a Champions League winner, a star of one of Europe’s most devastating attacks.
He started like one too. Early performances hinted at a player capable of transforming United’s attack under Louis van Gaal.
Then the slide began.
Di Maria struggled to settle in Manchester. His relationship with Van Gaal deteriorated, and his form followed. He later recalled how “things started really well” before a series of meetings with the manager focused relentlessly on his mistakes, never his strengths. The tone changed. So did his mood.
Off the pitch, life in Manchester wore him down. The early darkness, the cold, the break-in at his house – each problem added to the next. He spoke of how everything “snowballed,” how the combination of poor form, limited game time and issues inside the club made him “hate being there.”
He pointed out the contrast with Paris, where he was also robbed but stayed for “another two or three years” because life suited him better. At United, he chose his family and a fresh start.
After one troubled season, United cut their losses, selling him to Paris Saint-Germain at a £15.7m loss. A record signing gone almost as quickly as he had arrived.
Benteke: Big fee, brief chapter
Christian Benteke’s move to Liverpool carried its own weight of expectation.
The Belgian striker had been a force at Aston Villa, scoring 49 goals in 101 games and almost single-handedly dragging them through difficult seasons. When Liverpool triggered his £32.5m release clause, he became the club’s record signing, tasked with leading the line in a new era at Anfield.
He started promisingly, marking his home debut with the winner against Bournemouth. The Kop had its new No 9, and the script looked straightforward enough.
It rarely is.
Benteke’s time at Liverpool never truly aligned with the team’s tactical direction, and his spell on Merseyside proved far shorter than the fee suggested it would be. Another marquee arrival whose Premier League story, at least at one club, lasted just a season.
Reijnders now follows a familiar path: a celebrated signing, a quick goodbye, and a move that says as much about modern football’s ruthless churn as it does about his ability. The question is not whether he can thrive in Saudi Arabia – it’s how long Europe’s elite can keep their stars away from deals like this.
