Manchester City set timescale for Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki transfers | OneFootball

Officials at the Etihad Stadium are hoping to welcome two new faces into Manchester City’s squad as soon as this week, according to a new report.

Manchester City are eyeing four to five first-team additions to Pep Guardiola’s squad after a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw the 2023 treble winners surrender their Premier League crown to Liverpool.

Real Madrid also eaily saw off a meagre City side over two legs in the Round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League to pile on Guardiola’s misery, with the Blues also losing to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final in mid-May before securing a third-place Premier League finish.

A big summer of incomings and outgoings is in the offing and with Kevin De Bruyne moved on by the club, Guardiola is set to welcome a new pair of midfielders to kick off the newfound transfer window that will allow Manchester City to sign and register new players between June 1-10.

According to The Mirror’s Simon Mullock, Manchester City are set to complete the £60 million signing of AC Milan and Netherlands international midfielder Tijjani Reijnders this week to kick-start their summer recruitment plans.

It is further stated that Etihad Stadium bosses are also looking to seal a £35 million agreement to sign Olympique Lyonnais and France star Rayan Cherki before they jet out to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.

Reijnders has been Manchester City’s leading candidate to bolster their prospects in the attacking midfield positions as Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan get on, with James McAtee also expected to leave permanently this summer after being named in Lee Carsley’s England squad for the U-21 European Championship.

After withdrawing from their long-standing interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz – who is close to joining Liverpool – Manchester City have ramped up their pursuit of Cherki and talks are progressing between the clubs to seal a deal in the coming week.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak recently detailed Manchester City’s plans to bring in each of their summer signings in time for the FIFA Club World Cup and the club’s fanbase can expect the acquisitions of Cherki and Reijnders to be wrapped up this week.

Guardiola struggled with injuries across the pitch but most crucially in midfield and defence over the course of the 2024-25 campaign, with Ballon d’Or holder Rodri watching on from the sidelines for nearly the entire season after suffering an ACL injury against Arsenal in September 2024.

John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias were all members of the treatment table pack at various points of the season and first-team stars such as Phil Foden and Jack Grealish failed to meet expectations in what was an uncharacteristically poor season for Guardiola and co – judging from their incredibly high standards built over the years.

The arrivals of Cherki and Reijnders would make for an early statement of intent from the Manchester City board and sent a crucial message to their Premier League and European rivals that the club are not sulking over their recent drop-off – and are ready to challenge on all fronts next season, starting with the Club World Cup in the United States.