Tijjani Reijnders signed a contract with AC Milan last summer but was also high on the lists of both Ajax and Barcelona. To the surprise of his father, Martin Reijnders, the Amsterdam club decided not to pursue the current Dutch international.
Embed from Getty Images
Reijnders senior, a former forward renowned for his contributions, especially at PEC Zwolle (formerly FC Zwolle), found himself entangled in discussions with Ajax regarding his eldest son during the midpoint of the previous season.
"I was contacted multiple times by Ajax's scouting team, affirming that Tijjani held a prominent position on their list in Amsterdam," disclosed Reijnders senior in the Christmas special of VI, featuring a comprehensive interview with Tijjani Reijnders.
"The talks, however, were accompanied by the condition that Ajax needed to offload players before they could materialize a concrete offer. Fast forward a few months, Sven Mislintat assumed a pivotal role. The scout had been furnished with my contact details, but to my surprise, Mislintat never initiated contact. Evidently, there was no inclination toward Tijjani. In the preceding summer, both Feyenoord and FC Twente had already approached us, expressing reservations about the asking price at the time, oscillating between one and three million euros. Intriguingly, a year later, Tijjani sealed a move to Italy for a sum that far exceeded those initial figures," elucidated Martin Reijnders.
Even Barcelona, the illustrious Spanish club, demonstrated a profound interest, contemplating Tijjani Reijnders as the prospective successor to Sergio Busquets in a defensive role.
"The paramount factor guiding my decision was football-related," explained Tijjani Reijnders. "While the aspiration to transition to a top league was pivotal, it wasn't the sole criterion. The envisioned role that Barcelona had in mind for me didn't align with my strengths, which predominantly lie in the attacking half and dynamic interplay. Furthermore, in terms of club stature, both Milan and Barcelona fall within the same echelon."
