Manchester City Close in on €100m Ayyoub Bouaddi Transfer

Manchester City have struck a deal worth up to €100m with Lille for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a move that underlines the scale of their midfield reset under Enzo Maresca.

City will pay €95m (£81.4m) up front, with a further €5m in potential add-ons. Once the paperwork is complete, the 18-year-old’s arrival will push the club’s summer outlay close to £200m, following the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window.

Bouaddi was withdrawn from Lille’s Ligue 1 squad for Sunday’s match against Angers as the transfer edged towards completion. He is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days before the deal is confirmed.

A deep-lying midfielder who operates primarily as a No 6, Bouaddi has climbed rapidly through the ranks. He started five of Morocco’s six matches at this summer’s World Cup, including the 2-0 quarter-final defeat by France, despite only having eight senior caps. His club breakthrough came even earlier: he made his Lille debut in October 2023 in a Conference League group game, becoming the youngest player to feature in the competition at 16 years and three days.

City’s move for Bouaddi comes in the wake of Rodri’s departure to Barcelona, a £65m sale completed last week that will fund the bulk of the Lille fee. One era in City’s midfield has closed; another is being built at speed.

Midfield Rebuild

The first pillar of that rebuild, Anderson, makes his Premier League debut in City’s opener against Bournemouth on Sunday. Comfortable as a No 6 or No 8, he gives Maresca flexibility at the base of midfield, meaning Bouaddi is unlikely to be thrown straight into the starting XI.

City are not stopping there. They remain keen on Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, another central midfielder, though there is a clear gap in valuation. Chelsea want £120m for the Argentina international, while City are understood to rate him at a lower figure.

One marquee sale, two major arrivals already, and a third still on the radar: City’s midfield, once defined by Rodri’s dominance, is being torn up and rewritten in a single summer.