Manchester City Near €100m Bouaddi Transfer Deal

Manchester City have struck a deal worth €95m (£81.4m) plus €5m in add-ons with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi, a move that will push their summer outlay towards the £200m mark.

The 18-year-old Morocco midfielder 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 transfer is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

Bouaddi is not just another prospect. Operating primarily as a No 6, he started five of Morocco’s six matches at this summer’s World Cup, including the 2-0 quarter-final defeat by France. That run came despite him having only eight senior caps, underlining how quickly he has climbed the international ladder.

His rise at club level has been just as sharp. Bouaddi made his Lille debut in an October 2023 Conference League group game and, at 16 years and three days, became the youngest player to feature in the competition.

City’s move for him is part of a wider reshaping of Enzo Maresca’s midfield. The bulk of the Bouaddi fee will be covered by last week’s £65m sale of Rodri to Barcelona, a seismic departure that has forced the Premier League champions to accelerate their succession plan at the base of midfield.

Elliot Anderson, signed earlier in the window for £116m, starts City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday. He can operate as a No 6 or No 8, giving Maresca flexibility and easing the immediate pressure on Bouaddi to walk straight into the XI.

So City are paying for the future as much as the present. Bouaddi arrives as a long-term pivot option, Anderson as a versatile engine, and Maresca suddenly has choices rather than certainties at the heart of his side.

The recruitment drive may not stop there. City remain keen on Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, but there is a stand-off over price. Chelsea want £120m for the Argentinian, while City are understood to rate him at a lower figure.

One thing is clear: after losing Rodri, City are not drifting into a new era. They are spending aggressively to shape it.