AC Milan can not consider any player truly untouchable without Champions League football, and that applies to Tijjani Reijnders despite his renewal.
Reijnders has been perhaps Milan’s best performer this season with 40 games played (and we are still at the beginning of March), 12 goals scored and three assists in all competitions. In the disastrous and negative season that the club are experiencing, he has been a shining light.
As Calciomercato.com report, Reijnders signed a new contract yesterday worth €3.5m net per season (plus bonuses tied to personal and team objectives) until June 2030, without the inclusion of any release clause.
He thus cemented himself as a pillar of Milan in the present and future, though how long that will be for remains a mystery of sorts. An important premise is that Milan did not extend the Dutchman’s contract for leverage with view to a summer sale, nor does the player have any intention of leaving.
However, missing out on the Champions League will see Milan’s accounts take a huge hit, and in turn that means ‘no one would be considered untouchable or unsellable’. If a huge bid arrived for any player – including Reijnders – the directors would have the obligation to listen to it.
This is where Chelsea come into the equation. The Blues have already enquired about Rafael Leao and now asked for the first information on Reijnders, too. We are far from talking about a concrete negotiation or even an offer ready to arrive, but the interest of the London club is real.
The excellent relations between the two clubs – as seen with the Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Joao Felix deals – could help. In the meantime, Barcelona and Manchester City have the name of Reijnders on their notebook too, even if he seems very happy to stay.
