Tijjani Reijnders Completes €61 Million Move to Al-Qadsiah

Tijjani Reijnders’ brief Manchester City chapter is over. The Dutch midfielder has completed a big-money switch to Al-Qadsiah, with Football Italia reporting a €61 million fee and a lavish five-year deal in the Saudi Pro League.

The numbers are eye-watering. Over the length of his contract, Reijnders is expected to earn more than €100m. Al-Qadsiah rolled out the move with a slick presentation video on X, where the 26-year-old introduced himself with a line that will stick: “I’m a Dutch artist; I’m a Qadsiah man.”

He leaves England after just one season, 50 appearances in all competitions and two domestic cups in his pocket. On the pitch, he did his job. On the balance sheet, City have done theirs too, banking a profit on the player they brought in for €55m a year ago.

But the real winners sit in Milan’s boardroom.

Milan’s masterstroke

When Milan sold Reijnders to Manchester City last summer, they didn’t just cash in. They planned for exactly this scenario.

The deal contained up to €14m in performance-related add-ons, tied to major milestones such as Champions League glory or even the Ballon d’Or. Yet the crucial detail was buried in a smart clause: if City sold Reijnders within the first year, they would owe Milan the full €14m, regardless of whether any of those targets were met.

City wanted the sale wrapped up quickly. That urgency comes at a cost. By pushing the transfer through inside that 12-month window, they triggered the entire add-on package and are now obliged to send those extra millions to San Siro.

It transforms the numbers. Milan’s total take for Reijnders climbs to almost €70m. For a player they reportedly bought from AZ Alkmaar for around €13m in the summer of 2023, the Italian side have turned a tidy piece of scouting into an estimated €56m profit in just over a year. That is elite-level trading.

New chapter in Saudi Arabia

For Reijnders, the focus now moves to Al-Qadsiah and a rapidly rising project in Saudi football.

He will join up with fellow recruit Mateo Retegui and work under Brendan Rodgers, who has been tasked with steering the club into the continent’s new elite tier. Al-Qadsiah are preparing for their first appearance in the AFC Champions League Elite, and they are spending like a club that intends to stay there.

The schedule offers no gentle easing-in period. Reijnders could make his debut as early as Friday, when Al-Qadsiah face Al-Ittihad in the second round of the Saudi Pro League. A new league, a new continent, and a huge contract on his shoulders.

From AZ to Milan to Manchester and now to the Gulf, his rise has been fast. The next question is simple: can the self-proclaimed “Dutch artist” paint Al-Qadsiah into Asia’s football elite?