Man City to agree Tijjani Reijnders 'loan with option to buy'

Tijjani Reijnders' return to AC Milan seems inevitable, but Manchester City will struggle to break even on the midfielder this summer.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that Italian clubs are notoriously "tight" when it comes to transfer fees.

Reijnders has seriously struggled during his first season in England, starting just 19 Premier League games, but still notching 14 goal contributions.

Some fans viewed the 27-year-old as Kevin De Bruyne's successor at the Etihad Stadium, and unsurprisingly, those comparisons have fallen flat on their face.

While Football Insider understands that Enzo Maresca has no plans to sell the Dutchman, emerging reports suggest that AC Milan want to bring the player back to Italy.

It would certainly make him one of Man City's more disappointing signings in recent seasons, but it appears increasingly likely that he departs already.

Tijjani Reijnders' return to Italy looking likely

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson admitted that selling Reijnders would be extremely difficult, but a return to Italy can't be ruled out.

"The problem is that the Italian clubs, generally, they tend to be quite tight in the way that they do their deals," he said.

"You can see it inevitably being a loan plus a conditional probably conditional purchase. Is that something City want? I don't know.

"Can they get most of their money back? Certainly not in that structure. That's much harder, with much more uncertainty.

"But where else is he gonna go? I don't know. In the Premier League, there's not a lot of business going on outside of the top six. Even Chelsea aren't really active yet."

What has Reijnders said about his time in England?

Despite a lack of minutes, at least compared to what was expected last summer, he has remained positive at the Etihad Stadium.

With Bernardo Silva gone, there should be plenty of opportunities for the midfielder to gain more valuable minutes for the 10-time Premier League champions.

"It's amazing to play games like this and to be on the stage like this, and it makes you even more eager to play," he said back in April.

"That's why I also made a move to this club to fight for trophies. I feel very positive, very happy. A great group as well.

"They helped me a lot in the beginning, and of course, we had some difficult times, but we always stick together."

The club are about to head into a brand-new era under Maresca, and that could be the perfect opportunity for his City career to boom in 2026-27.