Tijani Reijnders accidentally reveals teammate’s move to Real Madrid during Netherlands training camp
Manchester City and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has shared some exciting news with reporters: his teammate is set to join Real Madrid, even though the club hasn’t officially announced it yet.
Reijnders played 47 games for City last season after moving from AC Milan. He’s now with the Netherlands team, getting ready for the World Cup this summer after being picked by coach Ronald Koeman. He’s training with the squad and played in their warm-up game against Algeria on Wednesday.
At a recent media session before their next friendly match against Uzbekistan on June 8 in New York City, Reijnders revealed a transfer update. For a while, Denzel Dumfries has been linked with a move away from Inter Milan in Serie A. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently said Real Madrid plans to trigger Dumfries’ €20 million release clause.
Romano also mentioned that medical checks were done in the Netherlands ahead of the transfer. But when Dumfries was asked, he didn’t give a clear answer, saying, “I can’t say anything about it. I’m proud of my time at Inter and focused on the World Cup with the Netherlands. We’ll see what happens later.”
Shortly after, Reijnders let the news slip. “Denzel Dumfries’ move to Real Madrid? Yes, we all congratulated him. It’s a big step for him and we’re very happy. He’s proven himself over the past two seasons, so Real signing him makes sense.”
Looks like Dumfries is set for Real Madrid this summer, but some players might be leaving. Coach Jose Mourinho has told the club that players like Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo, and Franco Mastantuono aren’t part of his plans, according to journalist Ramon Alvarez. Fran Garcia, Raul Asencio, and former Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos, who’s linked to Ajax, also seem likely to move on.
Journalist Ruben Martin from AS says Mourinho now runs Real’s transfer decisions, with club president Perez agreeing to relax the rule against signing older players. While Real usually signs younger talent, bringing in 30-year-old Dumfries is a change from that approach.