Manchester City Nears €100m Ayyoub Bouaddi Transfer as Midfield Revamp Intensifies
Manchester City are set to push their summer spending towards the £200m mark after agreeing a deal worth €95m (£81.4m) plus €5m in add-ons with Lille for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The 18-year-old was pulled out of Lille’s Ligue 1 fixture against Angers on Sunday, clearing the way for a medical with City. Barring late complications, the move is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
A World Cup breakout, a record-breaking rise
Bouaddi operates primarily as a No 6 and has rocketed through the levels at remarkable speed. He started five of Morocco’s six matches at this summer’s World Cup, including the 2-0 quarter-final defeat to France, despite having only eight senior caps to his name.
His club career has moved just as quickly. Bouaddi made his Lille debut in October 2023 in a Conference League group game, becoming the youngest player to appear in the competition at 16 years and three days. That night hinted at a rapid ascent; City are now betting heavily that it was no coincidence.
Funded by Rodri, framed by Anderson
The bulk of the Bouaddi fee will be covered by the £65m sale of Rodri to Barcelona, completed last week. Losing the Spaniard tears out the heart of City’s midfield structure, but the club have moved aggressively to reshape the position.
Elliot Anderson, signed earlier in the window for £116m, makes his debut in City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday. The former Newcastle midfielder can operate as a No 6 or No 8, which gives Enzo Maresca options and reduces the immediate pressure on Bouaddi to walk straight into the starting XI.
The Moroccan may instead be eased in, learning the demands of City’s positional game behind Anderson and the remaining senior options, rather than being cast instantly as Rodri’s direct heir.
City still circling Enzo Fernández
City’s midfield rebuild may not stop with Bouaddi. The club remain keen on Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, another central midfielder who fits the profile of a long-term cornerstone.
Chelsea are holding out for £120m for the Argentina international. City, though, are understood to value him at a lower figure, setting up a potential stand-off as the window ticks on.
For now, the story is clear: Rodri out, Anderson in, Bouaddi on his way, and Fernández still in the crosshairs. Maresca’s first City midfield is being ripped up and rewritten at speed.
