Manchester City Agree £85.6m Deal for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi Amid Midfield Rebuild
Manchester City have reached an agreement worth up to £85.6m (€100m) with Lille for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to Sports Mole. The deal, which would be a club-record sale for the French side, includes a guaranteed £81m (€95m) with the remainder potentially made up through add-ons. Bouaddi has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The 18-year-old Morocco international started five of six games at the World Cup and has recorded four assists in 96 senior appearances for Lille. He has been compared by a teammate to a blend of Patrick Vieira and Sergio Busquets.
The signing comes as part of a significant midfield rebuild under manager Enzo Maresca, with the club having sold 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to Barcelona for an initial £65.4m. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez remains high on City's list of alternatives or additions, according to reports, with Maresca said to admire the Argentine from their time together in England.
City have also made a firm decision to keep playmaker Claudio Echeverri for the first half of the season, despite underwhelming loan spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Girona. River Plate are monitoring the 20-year-old's situation and could make an approach in January if he continues to struggle for game time behind Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki.
Squad Departures and Potential Outgoings
The club has already seen 11 players depart this summer, with Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, and James Trafford among those who have left. Reports suggest that Savinho and Omar Marmoush are the next expected to leave, both closing in on moves to Tottenham Hotspur as part of a £100m+ package.
Jack Grealish's future remains unresolved, while Issa Kabore is a candidate to depart before the transfer deadline. The sale of Nico Gonzalez to Newcastle United is expected to create squad space and financial flexibility.
Chelsea's deadline of August 14 for a £120m bid for Fernandez passed without an offer from City. Elsewhere, Chelsea have had multiple bids for Alex Scott rejected by Bournemouth, who are insistent on keeping their star players this window.