Manchester City Near €100m Deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi

Manchester City have struck a deal worth €95m (£81.4m) plus a possible €5m in add-ons with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi, a move that pushes their summer outlay towards the £200m mark and underlines the scale of Enzo Maresca’s midfield reset.

The 18-year-old Morocco international was withdrawn from Lille’s Ligue 1 fixture against Angers on Sunday, clearing the way for a medical with City. The transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days.

A deep-lying midfielder who thrives as a No 6, Bouaddi has climbed fast. 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 breakthrough came even earlier: he became the youngest player ever to feature in the Conference League when he made his Lille debut in October 2023 at 16 years and three days.

City’s move for Bouaddi comes in the wake of Rodri’s departure to Barcelona, a £65m sale agreed last week that will fund the bulk of the Lille fee. It is a bold reshaping of a position that has anchored City’s recent dominance.

That overhaul had already begun with the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window. Anderson, capable of operating as both a No 6 and a No 8, starts in City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday, which means Bouaddi is unlikely to walk straight into Maresca’s first XI.

But City are not stopping there. The Premier League champions remain keen on Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández. Chelsea are holding out for £120m for the Argentina international, while City are understood to value him below that figure.

One midfield lynchpin has gone. Two big-money arrivals are in, and a third could yet follow. Maresca’s new City will be built from the middle – and they are paying a premium to make sure it happens.