Sergio Busquets left the staff of the FC Barcelona in 2023 after becoming a legend since his promotion to the Barça first team in 2008. The Barça club got to work searching for a midfielder who could perform in that position, although knowing that the specificity of its captain was irreplaceable. Some names came up and in the end, between financial limitations and sporting criteria, the club ended up signing Oriol Romeu to Girona, where a year later the Catalan footballer has returned on loan. Among the profiles that were surveyed, there was a Dutch player, Tijjani Reijnders. At least his father Martin Reijnders He stated it emphatically in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagbladgiving the reasons why he rejected Barça as an ideal destination. Reijnders ended up signing on July 19, 2023 for Milan, where he arrived at the age of 24 from AZ Alkmaar. signing until 2028 in exchange for 20 million euros (8 plus 4 in variables) as a transfer fee.
According to Martin Reijndershis contacts with Barça were with Anderson Luis de Souza ‘Deco’although by date the current Barça sports director was not officially presented as such until September 2023. ” I only had direct contact with Barcelona, talking with the technical director, Deco. I even checked his profile picture to make sure it was really him”commented Reijnders father. “”It is clear that we feel flattered by Barcelona’s interest”Martin continued. “However, they were looking for a replacement for Busquets, and I told my son that he doesn’t have that profile. He is not that type of player with the characteristics they were looking for”argument. “I advised my son to reject Barcelona, he would have been a substitute there and ran the risk of failing, as has happened to many others”he added.
According to the version of Martin Reijnders “There was also interest from English clubs, but I only spoke with them through intermediaries”.
The father’s perspective Reijnders was that his son “sooner or later he would have ended up on the bench, becoming another player who does not succeed abroad”having signed for Barça.
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At Milan, the Dutch international feels like a pillar of the project. After arriving from the Eredivisie having played 105 games, achieving 9 goals and 11 assists, at the Rossonero club his figures clearly mark his hierarchy: in his season he played 3,871 minutes in 50 games, achieving 4 goals and 4 assists, while in The current 2024-25 season has already totaled 704 minutes in 9 games, with 2 assists.
