Manchester City to submit official bid for midfielder ‘in the next days’ – Opening valuation revealed | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are expected to launch their opening bid to AC Milan for Tijjani Reijnders ‘in the next days’, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Etihad Stadium officials are set to be intent on revamping Pep Guardiola’s playing squad this summer, having already invested upwards of £180 million during the January transfer window on four new additions.

A hugely underwhelming campaign plagued by injury and fitness concerns unveiled the susceptibility of the current City squad to prolonged collapse in results, as showcased throughout November and December and the drastic drop-off in form.

Pep Guardiola has previously admitted that he himself shut down the idea of a rebuild of the City squad during the last summer transfer window, while he is adamant on the club having a roster of stars who can play relentlessly; twice a week over the course of a season.

One area that is expected to take on the most focus from club bosses is the central midfield ranks, with Kevin De Bruyne leaving upon the end of his contract next month and a clear lack of legs with ageing stars including Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, and Mateo Kovacic.

Providing a new update on his official YouTube channel this week, Fabrizio Romano has revealed the steps now being taken by Manchester City to intensify their pursuit of Tijjani Reijnders this summer and the valuation of an opening bid that is being targeted by the club.

“Tijjani Reijnders at number eight is considered the perfect player by Manchester City director Hugo Viana – the new director who is taking care of the market – and also by Pep Guardiola,” Romano insisted.

“They will go with an official proposal in the next days. They wanted to respect Milan playing the Coppa Italia Final but then they will present in the next days an official bid for Tijjani Reijnders,” he added.

“It’s expected to be more than €50 million, from the understanding. So Man City are preparing this proposal, let’s also wait in this case for the formal step. But the idea internally is to go strong for Tijjani Reijnders and then we have to understand how also the conversation with the player’s side will go.

“He extended the contract at Milan just a few months ago, so Man City also need to negotiate an important contract directly with Tijjani Reijnders. It’s not an easy deal or a super fast deal, but Man City want to go for it, let’s see how also Milan will react for one of their key players.”

Additional details concerning City from Fabrizio Romano’s latest report also reaffirm the “dream” within the club for the number 10 role to be vacated by Kevin De Bruyne, which applies to Florian Wirtz – a ‘really complicated’ deal due to ‘the big battle ongoing’.

Elsewhere and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is also said to ‘remain high on the list’ of Manchester City officials, after previous reports from English media said that Etihad officials would be the ‘frontrunners’ on pursuit of the midfielder.

The likes of Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain will also be open-minded when it comes to the possibility of outgoings from Manchester City’s existing squad roster, with several names highlighted as doubts by various reports looking towards the next season.

Ederson could find a route out of the club having opened himself up to the idea of Saudi Arabia last summer, while Kyle Walker is expected to leave regardless of whether AC Milan activate their option to buy in the veteran’s loan agreement.

Nathan Ake and John Stones face uncertainty due to fitness issues throughout this season, while Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, and Jack Grealish could all command interest due to various difficulties and their age profile.