Manchester City Signs Lille Teen Ayyoub Bouaddi for €100m
Manchester City have reached an agreement in principle worth 100m euros (£85.6m) to sign 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, underlining the scale of their midfield rebuild.
The Morocco international is set to join Enzo Maresca’s side after the clubs settled on an initial £81.4m fee, with a further £4.2m in add-ons. Talks had accelerated earlier in the week, and City have now moved decisively to close out what has become a protracted pursuit.
For a teenager with only a handful of senior seasons behind him, the numbers are staggering. City clearly see far more than potential. They see a cornerstone.
Midfield ripped up – and rebuilt
City’s engine room has been torn apart this summer. Rodri has gone to Barcelona in a £65m move, while Tijjani Reijnders has departed for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia for £52m. Two major exits, both central to how City played.
The response has been ruthless. Central midfield has become the priority, not a tweak but a full-scale reconstruction.
Elliot Anderson has already arrived from Nottingham Forest in a £116m deal, a bold domestic signing that raised eyebrows on its own. Now comes Bouaddi, younger, more raw, but carrying a price tag that places him straight under the spotlight.
Bouaddi and the next phase under Maresca
Maresca inherits a squad in transition, and Bouaddi’s signing is a clear marker of where City want to go. Younger legs, high technical quality, and the financial backing to reshape the core of the team in one window.
The move is not yet formally completed, but with an agreement in place and Lille having accepted the structure of the deal, Bouaddi is on course to make the jump to England.
City are not done either. They remain interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, a pursuit that would push this midfield overhaul into truly staggering territory if a deal can be struck.
For now, though, the message is blunt. City have lost key men in the middle of the pitch – and they are prepared to spend heavily to ensure this new era under Maresca does not start on the back foot.
