Manchester City Close In on Ayyoub Bouaddi as Rodri Successor
Manchester City are on the brink of landing one of Europe’s fastest-rising midfield talents, with Ayyoub Bouaddi having agreed personal terms ahead of a move to the Etihad Stadium.
The 18-year-old Lille midfielder has surged to the top of City’s shortlist after a remarkable season for club and country, and the deal is now in its final stretch as the Premier League champions race to complete their business before the new campaign kicks off in less than two weeks.
Bouaddi says yes – now City move on Lille
City have their green light from the player. Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reported that Bouaddi and his representatives have reached an agreement on personal terms with Manchester City, with the teenager pushing to join immediately rather than wait until 2027. The next step is clear: City must now close with Lille.
Talks between the clubs have accelerated over the past week. Lille initially pointed to a price tag close to €100 million (£86m) for their prized asset, but City’s negotiating team appear to have dragged that figure down. A package in the region of €70–80 million is now understood to be enough to get the transfer over the line, subject to agreement on payment structure and add-ons.
The player’s stance is not in doubt. Bouaddi wants England. He wants City. And he wants it now.
Meteoric rise in France – and on the world stage
Bouaddi’s rapid ascent has been one of the standout stories of the last year. In the 2025-26 campaign, the teenager forced his way from prospect to mainstay at Lille, starting 35 matches and making five further appearances from the bench across Ligue 1 and the Europa League.
He didn’t just fill a shirt. He ran games.
Operating from deep, Bouaddi showed the poise and authority of a far older player, dictating tempo, breaking lines with his passing and using an already imposing physical frame to dominate midfield battles. Those performances have triggered comparisons with some of the elite holding and deep-lying midfielders of the modern era, and they have not gone unnoticed in Manchester.
His club form has been matched by his impact on the international stage. At just 18, Bouaddi has already started five matches for Morocco at the World Cup, handling the pressure of tournament football with the same composure he shows in domestic competition. That exposure has only hardened City’s belief that he can step straight into one of the most demanding midfields in Europe.
Life after Rodri: Maresca’s biggest call
The timing of City’s move is no coincidence. The club is entering a period of real change at the heart of the pitch, with Rodri’s departure to Barcelona expected to be officially confirmed later this week. Replacing the Spaniard – the metronome and shield of City’s recent dominance – is arguably the toughest task Enzo Maresca has faced since taking charge.
Maresca has identified Bouaddi as a central piece of his remodelled side, a midfielder capable of anchoring play while still offering the dynamism to drive City forward in transition. It is a bold call: swapping one of the most reliable midfielders in the world for an 18-year-old still at the start of his career. But it is also a statement of trust in Bouaddi’s talent and temperament.
Another heavy swing in the market
Should City finalise the deal, Bouaddi’s arrival will push their summer outlay towards the £200 million mark. It would follow the headline £116 million signing of Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window, underlining the scale of the rebuild being undertaken at the Etihad.
City are not tinkering. They are rearming.
For Lille, the transfer would mark the end of a short but spectacular chapter, cashing in on a teenager whose value has exploded over the past 12 months. For City, it is the next step in constructing a new core for the next era.
The final details now rest on agreement between the clubs over how and when the money is paid, and which performance-related bonuses will be attached. With personal terms settled and Bouaddi pushing for an immediate move, there is growing confidence on all sides that the paperwork will soon follow.
If City get this over the line in the coming days, the question will not be how much they have spent. It will be whether an 18-year-old from Lille can carry the weight of replacing Rodri at the heart of a team built to win everything.
