English Premier League powerhouse Manchester City is in the late stages of negotiations with French Ligue 1 side Lille to sign breakout Moroccan midfield talent Ayyoub Bouaddi, senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has reported. The top-flight club is pushing to finalize the transfer agreement this week, as it nears the completion of a deal to sell long-serving midfield anchor Rodri to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Lille has placed an £85.6 million ($106.5 million) valuation on the 18-year-old prodigy, who has rapidly risen from a teenage debutant to a global name over the last two seasons. Bouaddi first announced his arrival on the world stage with a standout performance in Lille’s 2024 Champions League upset victory over Real Madrid, before turning heads across the sport during this summer’s World Cup. He started five of Morocco’s six matches as the North African side exceeded all expectations to reach the tournament quarter-finals, cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting young prospects in global football.
A deep-lying playmaker by trade, Bouaddi is viewed as the ideal tactical complement to City’s summer signing Elliot Anderson. The Newcastle-born England international is comfortable covering both box-to-box midfield duties and the single number six role, creating a flexible combination that would suit City’s system perfectly. Since making his professional debut in October 2023 – just three days after his 16th birthday – Bouaddi has already earned 88 first-team appearances for Lille, helping the club secure a third-place finish in Ligue 1 during the 2024-25 season. Off the pitch, the teenager is also known as a talented mathematics student, adding a unique off-field layer to his rising profile.
The move comes as Rodri prepares to complete his £65 million transfer to Barcelona, where he will pen a four-year contract. The 30-year-old Spanish midfielder, who claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or award, has spent seven trophy-filled seasons at the Etihad Stadium, making 298 appearances after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a then-club-record £62.8 million. His final season at City was disrupted by injuries: a serious knee injury sidelined him for most of the 2024-25 campaign, while recurring hamstring issues limited his playing time through parts of the year. Despite that setback, Rodri returned to elite form at this summer’s World Cup, captaining Spain to their second ever World Cup title and earning the tournament’s Player of the Tournament award.
It is still unclear whether the successful signing of Bouaddi will alter City’s long-standing interest in Chelsea’s Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Sources close to the club have confirmed that current City manager Enzo Maresca still holds a strong interest in bringing the 2022 World Cup winner to the Etihad, leaving the door open for further midfield movement before the transfer window closes.