Manchester City Set to Sign Bouaddi as Rodri Exit Impacts Liverpool
Liverpool’s summer rebuild has been deliberate rather than dramatic. Quiet moves at the back, selective tweaks in attack, a watchful eye on midfield. But one name is about to come off their board – and head straight to a Premier League rival.
Rodri domino sends Bouaddi towards City
The catalyst sits in Barcelona. Rodri’s move from Manchester City to the Camp Nou has opened a gaping hole in Enzo Maresca’s midfield. City have moved quickly to fill it.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan who turned heads with his World Cup performances, is now closing in on a switch to the Etihad, according to Fabrizio Romano. Personal terms are already in place. The only piece still being thrashed out is the agreement between City and Lille, with reports suggesting the fee could surge beyond $100 million.
Earlier suggestions that Lille wanted Bouaddi back on loan for a year have faded. Romano now reports that City plan to bring him in immediately, dropping him straight into Maresca’s squad. He will join a midfield already bolstered by the $157 million signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window.
For Liverpool, that stings. Bouaddi had been one of the young midfielders flagged as a potential long-term option at Anfield.
Liverpool’s plans: defence and wings first
Andoni Iraola’s first summer in charge has focused on tightening the foundations. The backline has been a clear priority, with Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo both arriving at Anfield in search of minutes and a platform to grow.
Up front, the picture is similar: targeted, not scattergun. Victor Munoz has already joined the forward ranks, while Liverpool maintain interest in PSG pair Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye. Both can operate on either flank, giving Iraola the flexibility he craves in the wide areas.
Only once the wing business is done are Liverpool expected to seriously turn back to midfield. That delay has now cost them a shot at Bouaddi.
Midfield well stocked – for now
The irony is that midfield is the one area where Iraola is not under immediate pressure to buy. The central unit is deep and talented, but it is also shifting.
Curtis Jones is expected to leave, and Alexis Mac Allister’s contract situation hangs over the medium term, prompting Liverpool to at least scan the market. Bouaddi fit the profile: young, high ceiling, already proven on a major international stage.
City’s move removes that option. Yet Liverpool are not scrambling.
Trey Nyoni’s breakthrough last season has rolled into an eye-catching pre-season, and the club believes he can grow into a long-term presence in the middle of the pitch. Around him, there is already a strong core tied down: Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz are all on long-term deals, giving Iraola a ready-made engine room with time on its side.
So while missing out on Bouaddi is a blow in terms of future planning, it does not trigger a crisis. It simply narrows the list.
A problem for next summer?
The real test may come a year from now. If Mac Allister moves into the final 12 months of his contract without a resolution, the tone of Liverpool’s midfield planning changes. Replacements stop being theoretical and start becoming essential.
When that moment comes, Bouaddi will almost certainly be wearing sky blue, not red. And Liverpool will have to find their next long-term midfielder somewhere other than Lille – and somewhere other than Manchester City’s bench.
