Tijjani Reijnders has joined Manchester City for an initial €55m (£46m) to give Pep Guardiola four signings this week.
The Netherlands international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium and joins Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli and Rayan Cherki as the new faces in Guardiola’s squad. All four were signed in time for the Club World Cup and could make their City debuts in the United States.
Reijnders, who scored 15 goals last season, and Cherki, form part of the midfield rebuild and the Dutchman said he had made a conscious effort to become more prolific. Reijnders was named the best midfielder in Serie A last season, and City agreed a £46m fee with AC Milan last week.
While it then took time to finalise the move, Reijnders said he was delighted.
“I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City,” the 26-year-old said. “City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years.
“It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it’s an inspiration to follow in their footsteps.
“I’m a box-to-box midfielder who likes to join the build-up from the back. I like to help the attackers, create chances and try to score a goal by myself sometimes. As a midfielder, it’s important to score goals as well. Two years ago, I didn’t score that many goals and I worked on it that summer and seeing what I needed to do better in front of the goal. This season, it worked out and I got on the scoresheet more.”
Director of football Hugo Viana added: “Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.”
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