Overview
- Reports on Monday said Manchester City were in advanced talks to sign 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for about €100m as clubs moved quickly in the transfer window.
- City’s pursuit is being driven by the expected sale of Rodri to Barcelona, a deal that creates an immediate midfield vacancy for manager Enzo Maresca to fill.
- Lille has publicly set a roughly €100m valuation, rejected loan-back arrangements and holds Bouaddi on a contract that runs until summer 2029, making negotiations complex.
- Bouaddi earned top-club interest after standout displays for Lille and Morocco at the 2026 World Cup and in the Champions League, and he is described as a composed deep-lying midfielder with exceptional game reading.
- It remains unclear whether a Bouaddi signing would end City’s pursuit of other midfield targets such as Enzo Fernández, a decision that will shape the club’s short-term tactics and long-term rebuild.