West Ham United are now set to miss out on the transfer of Tijjani Reijnders with the AZ Alkmaar midfielder set to snub the Irons and seal a move to AC Milan on Monday.
That is according to Calciomercato, which reports that AZ Alkmaar have given Reijnders the green light to join AC Milan. He will now head to Italy on Monday to undergo a medical and to finalise his paperwork. Terms are in place for the 24-year-old to sign a five-year contract.
AZ Alkmaar left Reijnders out of their squad for a pre-season friendly with Lech Poznan this Saturday in anticipation of the transfer. AFAS Stadion chiefs felt AC Milan’s offer of an initial €20m (£17m) plus bonuses was enough for their Dutchman under contract until June 2027.
AC Milan are set to beat West Ham to securing Reijnders’ transfer
A move to San Siro will also see Reijnders earn €1.7m-a-season (£28k-a/w) net through the course of his five-year contract. AC Milan cleared the last hurdles to signing the former U20 international this Friday night with a crucial effort to follow Christian Pulisic’s recent arrival.
Striking a deal with AZ Alkmaar will also see AC Milan beat West Ham to Reijnders’ transfer this summer. Sport Italia had reported at the end of June that the Irons were attempting to rival the Rossoneri. The Hammers made an in-depth poll to learn his stance on any transfer.
West Ham always faced a fight to overtake AC Milan in any race
AC Milan were always set to pose a problem for West Ham in any tussle to agree Reijnders’ transfer, though. Gazzetta dello Sport also reported this June that the Zwolle native made it clear that he was only interested in sealing a switch to San Siro amid interest from England.
West Ham could easily have eclipsed the terms that AC Milan offered both AZ Alkmaar and Reijnders for his transfer. But the midfielder’s desire to wear the red-and-black shirt rather than claret-and-blue always meant David Moyes faced a fight to sign the central midfielder.
A hand in 19 goals through 54 appearances last season convinced both teams to target his transfer. Reijnders scored seven times and laid on 12 assists across all competitions during 2022/23. He also started in each of his team’s matches and played 4,843 of 4,860 minutes.
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