Manchester City Pursue Lille Midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi

Manchester City are in advanced negotiations with Lille for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, as the Premier League champions move quickly to reshape their midfield after agreeing to sell Rodri to Barcelona.

City want the deal wrapped up this week. The urgency is clear: Rodri, the heartbeat of Pep Guardiola’s side for years, is on his way out, and the club have identified an 18-year-old as the man to help redefine the next era in the middle of the pitch.

Lille are holding firm on their valuation. The French club rate Bouaddi at 100 million euros (£85.6m), a figure that reflects not just his potential but the impact he has already made in a remarkably short career.

Bouaddi burst into wider consciousness with a standout World Cup this summer. He started five of Morocco’s six matches in their run to the quarter-finals, looking unfazed on the biggest stage and dictating tempo against seasoned international midfields. That tournament followed his breakthrough performance in Lille’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024, the night many across Europe first took serious notice.

He is not a like-for-like Rodri replacement, but City see a fit. Bouaddi operates as a deep-lying conductor, a player who wants the ball under pressure and can steer a game from the base of midfield. His range of passing and composure would dovetail with summer signing Elliot Anderson, who offers a more box-to-box profile while also being comfortable in the number six role he plays for England.

The numbers behind his rise are striking. Bouaddi has already made 88 appearances for Lille since debuting in October 2023, just three days after his 16th birthday. He became a mainstay as the club finished third in Ligue 1 last season, handling domestic and European demands with a maturity that belies his age.

If City and Lille can close the gap and finalise terms in the coming days, the champions will not just be replacing a cornerstone in Rodri. They will be betting heavily that an 18-year-old from Lille can help carry the weight of a midfield built to dominate English and European football for years to come.