Manchester City Nears €100m Deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi

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 and underline the scale of Enzo Maresca’s midfield overhaul.

The 18-year-old, one of Morocco’s breakout stars at this summer’s World Cup, was withdrawn from Lille’s Ligue 1 squad for Sunday’s game against Angers, clearing the way for a medical with City. The transfer is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

A deep-lying midfielder who operates primarily as a No 6, Bouaddi started five of Morocco’s six matches at the tournament, including the 2-0 quarter-final defeat to France. That appearance was only his eighth cap, a measure of how quickly he has accelerated from prospect to mainstay.

His rise in club football has been just as sharp. Bouaddi made his Lille debut in October 2023 in a Conference League group fixture, becoming the youngest player to feature in the competition at 16 years and three days. Now he is on the brink of joining the Premier League champions for a fee that places him among the most expensive teenage signings in European football.

City’s move for Bouaddi comes days after the £65m sale of Rodri to Barcelona, a deal that effectively funds the bulk of Lille’s windfall and closes the chapter on one of the pillars of Pep Guardiola’s era. The Spaniard’s departure has forced City to accelerate their succession plan at the base of midfield.

Bouaddi will arrive in a dressing room already reshaped by the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window. Anderson, who makes his debut in City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday, can operate as a No 6 or No 8, giving Maresca tactical flexibility and easing the immediate pressure on Bouaddi to start every week.

That dynamic means the Moroccan may be eased in rather than thrown straight into the XI, especially with City still active in the market. The club retain a strong interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández. Chelsea are holding out for £120m for the Argentina international, while City are understood to value him below that figure, setting up a potential stand-off as the window ticks on.

For now, the focus is on closing Bouaddi’s move and bedding in Anderson. Rodri is gone, the shape of City’s midfield is changing fast, and Maresca’s first season is already being defined by how quickly this rebuilt engine room can start to run at full speed.