The father of Tijjani Reijnders has revealed that Atletico Madrid were interested in signing his son before the midfielder eventually moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah.
Martin Reijnders said Atletico were the family’s preferred destination because of the club’s strong interest in the Netherlands international.
However, the Spanish side eventually ended their pursuit because they could not make the proposed transfer work financially.
“We were hoping for Atletico Madrid. They were very interested; however, they pulled out for good. They couldn’t make it work financially,” Martin Reijnders said.
According to him, Juventus and Galatasaray also showed interest in the former AC Milan midfielder, but both clubs were only looking at a loan deal.
Reijnders’ family initially rejected approaches from Al-Qadsiah, with the midfielder himself having no interest in moving to the Middle East at the time.
“The first two times, we turned Al-Qadsiah down immediately. Tijjani had no intention of moving to the Middle East,” his father explained.
However, Al-Qadsiah returned with a different approach on their third attempt. The Saudi club arranged a video presentation for the player and his family before inviting them to visit the club and learn more about its plans.
The visit eventually changed their view of the proposed move.
Martin said the Saudi club presented an ambitious vision and made it clear that it wants to become “the biggest club in Asia.”
Reijnders completed his move to Al-Qadsiah from AC Milan in 2025 in a deal reported to be worth around €55 million, potentially rising with bonuses.
The transfer ended his two-year spell at Milan, where he established himself as an important midfielder.
The Dutchman had joined Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 and quickly became a key part of the Italian club’s midfield. His performances also earned him a regular place in the Netherlands national team.
