Manchester City are in advanced talks with Lille to sign Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Premier League club aims to finalize the transfer this week following their agreement to sell Rodri to Barcelona. It is understood Lille value the 18-year-old at 100m euros (£85.6m).
City have also not given up hope of signing Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, Sport has been told. Should they succeed in acquiring both Bouaddi and Fernandez, it would complete a trio of costly midfield signings for the club, following Elliot Anderson’s arrival from Nottingham Forest.
Bouaddi impressed at this summer’s World Cup, starting five of Morocco’s six matches in their run to the quarter-finals. This international success followed a starring role in Lille’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024, which announced him on the big stage.
The midfielder has played 88 times for Lille since making his debut in October 2023, just three days after his 16th birthday, and helped the side finish third in Ligue 1 last season. He functions as a deep-lying conductor, offering a tactical complement to Anderson, who is comfortable in both box-to-box and number six roles.
