Manchester City added a new midfielder to their squad in the January transfer window.
Spaniard Nico Gonzalez joined the club from Portuguese giants FC Porto for a fee in the region of £50m. He was, in many ways, signed as a replacement for Rodri, who is sidelined this season with a knee injury.
The new City midfielder has certainly made a great impression to start the campaign. He has played nine times for the reigning Premier League champions so far this term and was even described as a “mini Rodri” by Pep Guardiola.
The Spain international might not be the only midfield recruit in 2025 for City. They have recently been linked with another player who can strengthen the centre of the park.
Man City’s new midfield target
After the success of the Gonzalez signing in the winter, City could now turn back to the market to add Tijani Reijnders to their midfield. The AC Milan sensation has been making waves for the Serie A giants this term and could now depart the club this summer.
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According to a report from Football Insider, the Citizens ‘have identified Reijnders as a top target’ for the 2025 summer transfer window and is ‘seen as a player who would fit seamlessly into City’s midfield’, alongside the likes of Rodri and Gonzalez.
However, this will not be an easy deal for the East Mancunian outfit to do. Football Insider reports that the Milan ace will only be able to move to the Etihad Stadium if they pay £50m and sell three players to make room in their squad.
Why Reijnders would be a good signing
Should the Citizens bring Reijnders to the club head of the 2025/26 season, he would surely be a huge upgrade to their midfield. Football analyst Ben Mattinson believes he is one of the “top 5 midfielders this season”, high praise indeed.
The Dutchman has played a key role for Milan this term. He has scored 13 times and grabbed four assists across 43 games for the Serie A giants. One of those strikes was away to Real Madrid, in a fantastic 3-1 win at the Santaogo Bernabeu.
The Netherlands international is not the only midfielder City have been linked with in recent weeks. According to reports in Spain, they are targeting £50m-rated Hugo Larsson of Eintracht Frankfurt. The young Sweden star has six goals and one assist for the club.
Whilst both players will reportedly cost the same price, perhaps Reijnders will be the better option. Not only is he more experienced, but he offers more of a goal threat and lots of creativity in the final third. Just look at this assist for Christian Pulisic to see how technically gifted and creative he is.
Another way to get a picture of who will be the better signing out of Reijnders and Larsson is to compare their stats via FBref from the 2024/25 campaign. To preface these numbers, it is worth noting that Reijnders has played an average of 16 full 90 minutes more than Larsson.
Well, the metrics certainly make for interesting reading. For example, this term, Reijnders has averaged 6.40 progressive passes and 3.30 progressive carries per 90 minutes, compared to Larsson’s 4.89 progressive passes and 0.65 progressive carries each 90 minutes.
Progressive passes
6.4
4.89
Key passes
1.43
0.94
Shot-creating actions
3.27
2.44
Progressive carries
3.3
0.65
Successful take-ons
1.13
0.22
With both players potentially costing the same amount, you could argue there is not much difference in whom you sign.
However, the experience and all-rounder quality that Reijnders offers, particularly as a ball-carrier, perhaps give him the edge.
If City do decide to sign the Dutchman, he will bring technical quality on the ball and a goal-scoring threat as a box-crasher. He would certainly enhance the calibre of midfielder Guardiola has at his disposal.
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