Aston Villa could head towards chasing Tijjani Reijnders with an optimistic approach that their plan would succeed and help beat off competition.
Tijjani Reijnders could be in with a chance to leave Manchester City in the summer after a solitary season at the Etihad. Should that be the case, many clubs are waiting for Pep Guardiola’s side to signal their intention to sell. As Fichajes report, Aston Villa are optimistic about landing the Dutchman ahead of other rivals such as Arsenal.
Tijjani Reijnders arrived at the Etihad in a deal reported to be around €58 million last summer from AC Milan, and he had hit the ground running at Manchester City. He was rising to become a key figure under Pep Guardiola, having impressed with his all-round midfield displays.
However, he has been barely used by Guardiola over the last few months, mainly due to a change of style that sees Rodri and Bernardo Silva take up the key midfield positions. Even in the former’s absence of late, Reijnders has found very limited game time in the league, which has fuelled speculation over an exit in the summer.
The report states Manchester City are likely to demand as much as €70 million to sell the Dutchman, which will be a decent profit over their €58 million investment in the midfielder. Aston Villa and Arsenal are among the suitors, with the former now growing in confidence about cracking a deal and convincing Reijnders to join them.
Arsenal are also looking at the possibility of exploring a deal, as per the report, although Manchester City might make any move challenging. They may not want to sell a player to their direct rivals in the Premier League, which could give Aston Villa another advantage in the race.
Will Tijjani Reijnders join Aston Villa?
Apart from the English sides, there is interest from Juventus in Reijnders, but the financial might of the Premier League might scupper the idea for the Turin giants. Aston Villa, in particular, are reportedly willing to fork out whatever may be deemed necessary to sign Reijnders, which could open the doors to completing a deal.
Unai Emery’s side are on the verge of confirming their place in next season’s Champions League, while they have also made it to the Europa League final. Should they qualify for the Champions League, an offer for Reijnders might convince the player, given Emery could offer him a key role in the team next season.