Martin Reijnders, father and representative of the Dutch midfielder, told Algemeen Dagblad that his son held out hope of joining Atletico Madrid for some time before the club's interest fell through, ultimately paving the way for his move to Saudi club Al-Qadsiah.
"We were waiting for Atlético Madrid, they were very interested, but they withdrew for good. They couldn't make it work financially," he said.
Manchester City had set an asking price of around €60 million, a figure Martin Reijnders said proved too high for every European club that showed interest, including Atlético, Juventus, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Galatasaray.
Juventus and Galatasaray were only willing to negotiate a loan, while Newcastle and Forest could not reach an agreement with City on their terms, leaving Atlético as the most concrete European suitor before their own withdrawal.
Reijnders and his family resisted Al-Qadsiah's initial approaches, with his father confirming they twice rejected contact from the Saudi club because the player had no intention of moving to the Middle East. It was only once Atlético's interest collapsed entirely that Al-Qadsiah returned with a fresh presentation of their project, which the family ultimately found convincing. Money played a role, but Martin Reijnders insisted it was not the deciding factor on its own, framing the choice as one between a reduced role at City or regular football in Saudi Arabia.
"Money only became a factor when it came down to two sporting choices: staying at Manchester City, where you wouldn't be happy due to a new role and the risk of frequently sitting on the bench, or playing every week elsewhere," he said.
Al-Qadsiah proved to be the only club both willing and able to meet Manchester City's valuation, completing a deal reported to be worth around £52 million and a four-year contract worth some €100 million to the player. The move also helped fund City's subsequent deal for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, with manager Enzo Maresca having grown reliant on alternative options in midfield after Reijnders found his role reduced following the Italian's appointment.
Reijnders made 28 appearances for City in his single season at the club after joining from AC Milan, winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup before his move to Saudi Arabia this summer.