Juventus Explore Tijjani Reijnders Move Amid Kessié Talks
Juventus have opened a new front in their midfield rebuild, sounding out Manchester City over a possible move for Tijjani Reijnders as frustration grows around the stalled arrival of Franck Kessié.
According to reports in Italy, the Bianconeri have made initial contact both with Reijnders’ camp and with City, exploring the conditions for a potential loan and testing the Dutch midfielder’s appetite for a return to Serie A. At this stage, it is only exploratory dialogue rather than a formal negotiation, but the conversation is live and expected to continue.
Reijnders Back on Serie A Radar
Reijnders, a Netherlands international and former Milan midfielder, joined Manchester City just a year ago in a deal worth around €55 million. He started brightly in England, yet is now understood to have slipped down the pecking order at the Etihad, opening a small window of opportunity for Juventus.
That window has quickly become attractive in Turin. Luciano Spalletti wants fresh legs and more dynamism in the middle of the pitch, and Reijnders fits the profile: technically clean, comfortable between the lines, and already accustomed to the demands of Italian football.
His name has gained momentum precisely because the Kessié operation, once expected to be straightforward, has slowed.
Kessié Growing Impatient
Kessié, another former Milan midfielder, has been a free agent since 30 June and has edged closer to an agreement with Juventus in recent days. The Ivorian, however, is not prepared to sit and wait indefinitely. He has made it clear he wants his future resolved quickly, and that stance is starting to shape Juventus’s strategy.
As the talks with Kessié stall, Reijnders has emerged as a genuine alternative rather than a mere contingency. Juventus are not yet choosing between the two, but the club are clearly unwilling to be left exposed if Kessié decides to move elsewhere.
Midfield Logjam in Turin
There is a hard constraint, though: numbers. Juventus currently have eight midfielders on the books, a congested department that leaves little room for manoeuvre. Any incoming signing, whether Kessié on a free or Reijnders on loan, will almost certainly require at least one departure to balance the squad and the wage bill.
That reality explains the cautious approach. Juventus are probing City and Reijnders, keeping Kessié in play, and waiting for an opening in their own dressing room.
The market rarely waits for long. So the question now is simple: who blinks first – Kessié, City, or Juventus’s own midfielders?
