Manchester City have begun to up their search for a natural Kevin De Bruyne replacement.
The talented Belgium international will soon call time on his ten-year spell at Man City with a move to Napoli seemingly edging closer and closer with each passing week.
Florian Wirtz and Morgan Gibbs-White have been names floated around as players City could look to pull the trigger on, but one 26-year-old from the Netherlands has been described as a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola's side.
Manchester City up their chase for 'the next Kaka' this summer
Replacing De Bruyne is not going to be an easy task, but City's extensive scouting has brought the likes of Matheus Nunes, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez to the club in recent windows, so the profile of player they now need is clear to see.
But with the soon-to-be former City man delivering outstanding output year after year, one star currently plying his trade in Serie A has begun to be compared to as 'the next Kaka' and the Cityzens could now swoop in.
According to news from Corriere de Sport in Italy, Tijjani Reijnders would be open to the idea of joining Manchester City, should an 'unmissable offer' arrive from the Premier League giants over the course of the summer – with the report referencing an opportunity such as that of Kaka in 2009, who became the most expensive player of all time when he moved to Real Madrid from the San Siro.
Reijnders is said to have 'unofficially' ended up in City's notebook for next season. Guardiola's rebuild has identified the Rossoneri number 14 as the ideal reinforcement. He is valued at €50 million (£42 million) according to Transfermarkt.
"Today Tijjani is one of the best players at Milan but I think that in one or two years maximum there will be a further leap, I'm sure of it. Real Madrid or Manchester City: this will be his level," said former AZ Alkmaar coach Martin Haar back in November 2024.
Having netted 15 goals for Milan so far this season, it is blaringly obvious in FourFourTwo's view why City are so heavily linked with a move for the midfielder – though it could be a deal that exceeds €70m.
“My objective is to win as many trophies as possible, to write my name in the history books. I hope that it will be possible to do that at Milan, who I will soon extend my rapport with," Reijnders said back in 2024.
“Another dream could be to have a nomination for the Ballon d’Or, because that means a lot. It all depends on my performances and the trophies that I win. If I continue working to be the best possible player in every match, to work hard for the team and be decisive, it will be easier to get nominated.”
