Atletico Madrid tried to sign Tijjani Reijnders this summer but never had the money to make it happen, according to the midfielder's own father — a claim that, ONE reports, exposes just how threadbare Diego Simeone's transfer kitty has become even as the club refuses to cash in on Julian Alvarez.
Martin Reijnders, speaking about his son's messy summer, said Manchester City's asking price simply priced out every interested European club. "Manchester City asked for a transfer fee that nobody in Europe could or wanted to pay," he said, confirming that Atletico were keen but could not structure an offer City would accept.
City wanted a fee in the region of £52m (roughly €60m) for a player who had made just nine starts in his final 20 Premier League appearances of the season. Juventus and Galatasaray also made contact, ONE notes, but both only wanted a loan, which City rejected outright.
That left Al-Qadsiah of Saudi Arabia as the only club both willing and able to meet City's number. Reijnders was reluctant at first, his father said, but was eventually convinced to make the move once it became clear no European suitor could match the fee.
Manchester City confirmed the permanent transfer on 19 August, with Reijnders joining Brendan Rodgers' side in the Saudi Pro League on a deal worth around £52m. He links up with Italy striker Mateo Retegui in Al-Qadsiah's forward line.
It brings a swift and underwhelming end to Reijnders' time in England. He arrived from AC Milan in June 2025 for close to £46.5m, and while he started brightly, his form and playing time collapsed after the turn of the year under Pep Guardiola.
The final straw came when new manager Enzo Maresca left him out of City's Community Shield squad, a game City lost 3-0 to Arsenal. Within days, the move to Saudi Arabia was being finalised.
For Milan, the sale is a windfall regardless of where he ended up: including the fee City paid last year and Reijnders' onward sale, the Italian club is understood to have banked roughly €56m in total profit from developing him.
ONE's framing of the story is pointed at Atletico's own boardroom: a club that could not find the money for a proven Eredivisie-to-Serie A-to-Premier League midfielder, the piece argues, yet continues to knock back interest in Alvarez from Barcelona on principle rather than finances.
