Tijani Reijnders accidentally leaks teammate's transfer to Real Madrid at Netherlands training camp
Manchester City and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has confirmed to reporters that his teammate will join Real Madrid, despite the transfer not being formally announced by the club.
Reijnders, who made 47 appearances for City across the 2025-26 season following his move from AC Milan, will feature for the Netherlands at this summer's World Cup after being selected by manager Ronald Koeman.
He is currently with his teammates at their national team camp and featured in their pre-World Cup warm-up defeat to Algeria on Wednesday evening.
The 27-year-old was tasked with speaking to the media ahead of their next friendly against Uzbekistan, which will take place on June 8 at Icahn Stadium in New York City, and he let slip a piece of transfer news.
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For weeks, Denzel Dumfries has been linked with a move away from Serie A side Inter Milan.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed on Wednesday night that those behind the scenes at Real Madrid have informed Inter that they will activate the defender’s €20 million release clause.
In fact, medical tests were completed in the Netherlands ahead of a proposed move, according to Romano, but Dumfries refused to confirm whether a move to Madrid was happening when speaking to reporters.
“I really can't say anything about it,” he told De Telegraaf. “My time at Inter fills me with pride. I'm going to the World Cup with the Netherlands to give it my all. I'm only focused on that. We'll see what happens with the rest later.”
However, a short time later, his teammate spilled the beans during his chat with the media.
“Denzel Dumfries' transfer to Real Madrid? Yes, we all congratulated him, it's a big step for him and we're very happy for him," said Reijnders. “He's shown what he can do in the past two seasons, so signing with Real Madrid is justified.”
Jose Mourinho makes mark at Real Madrid with six players placed on transfer list
Dumfries looks to be heading to the Bernabeu this summer, but several players could be heading out the door.
Jose Mourinho has spoken to the Madrid board and informed them that the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono are surplus to requirements under his management, according to journalist Ramon Alvarez.
Fran Garcia, Raul Asencio and former Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos, who has been linked with a move to Ajax, also have no future under Mourinho and are likely to move on this summer.
Ruben Martin of AS has reported that Mourinho is in charge of Real's transfer policy, with Perez agreeing to change his rule of refusing to sign older players.
Real's recent approach has been to bring in younger talent, although the addition of 30-year-old Dumfries goes against that idea.
Topics: Netherlands, Transfers, Man City
Jack Kenmare