Nottingham Forest Eye £55 Million Move for Tijjani Reijnders

Nottingham Forest are testing Manchester City’s resolve over Tijjani Reijnders, sensing an opportunity in the final stretch of the window and armed with fresh money to spend.

The Midlands club are weighing up a move in the region of £55 million for the Netherlands international, who only arrived at the Etihad a year ago after an eye-catching spell with AC Milan. City paid for a midfielder in his prime, a player expected to slip seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s system.

It has not worked out that way.

Reijnders started just 19 Premier League games in his debut campaign, never quite nailing down a permanent role in Guardiola’s rotating midfield. For a 28-year-old at the peak of his career, the stop-start nature of his season has left his long-term prospects at City under real scrutiny.

Now, according to reports, the Dutchman is open to the idea of a move. He wants minutes, not cameos. A guaranteed starting role, not another year of waiting for chances off the bench.

Forest sense the opening. They are showing strong interest in a deal worth around £55m to bring Reijnders to the City Ground, where he would instantly become one of the centrepieces of their project. City, though, are understood to be holding out for closer to £60m before they even consider letting him go.

That valuation has already shaped the market. Atletico Madrid explored the possibility of signing Reijnders earlier in the summer but stepped away once it became clear City would not budge from their asking price. The fee, not the player, killed that move.

Forest, by contrast, are in a very different financial position. The sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for a fee that could rise to £116m has transformed their summer. It is a landmark outgoing that gives them the firepower to chase high-end targets rather than bargain solutions.

The question now is not whether Forest can afford Reijnders. It is whether they should.

At 28, he is no long-term project, and his first year in English football was uneven at best. Committing £55m – and potentially pushing closer to City’s £60m valuation – for a player still adapting to the league carries obvious risk. Forest’s hierarchy must decide if they are paying for the player Reijnders has been so far in England, or the one they believe he can become with a team built around him.

The negotiation is finely poised. A compromise between Forest’s proposed £55m and City’s £60m stance remains the main hurdle. The player’s stance, though, tilts the dynamic. Reijnders’ openness to a move gives Forest leverage: they can offer him what City currently cannot – a central role, regular starts, and the chance to re-establish himself as a dominant midfielder in the Premier League.

For Forest, this is more than just a statement signing. It is a test of ambition and judgement. Do they push hard, pay close to City’s price and bet big on a 28-year-old looking to reboot his career? Or do they walk away and spread that money across several positions?

Reijnders is ready to move. City are ready to listen, at the right number. Forest now have to decide just how much this deal is worth to their season.