Arabic version: مانشستر سيتي يناقش صفقة بوعادي مع استمرار الاهتمام بفيرنانديز

According to BBC News, Manchester City are in advanced talks with Lille over a move for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. City want to complete the transfer this week after agreeing to sell Rodri to Barcelona, while Lille are understood to value the 18-year-old at 100m euros (£85.6m).

Bouaddi has established himself quickly at Lille, making 88 appearances since his debut in October 2023, three days after his 16th birthday. He helped the club finish third in Ligue 1 last season and gained wider attention after Lille’s Champions League win over Real Madrid in 2024.

At the summer World Cup, Bouaddi started five of Morocco’s six matches as the team reached the quarter-finals. He is described as a deep-lying conductor and could complement Elliot Anderson, who joined City from Nottingham Forest and is comfortable both as a box-to-box midfielder and in the number six role he plays for England.

City have also retained an interest in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea expect the Argentina midfielder to remain for the rest of the season after their self-imposed deadline for bids passed, but City boss Enzo Maresca is said to maintain a strong interest before the 1 September transfer deadline. If City sign both Bouaddi and Fernandez, they would complete a trio of expensive midfield additions following Anderson’s arrival. Rodri, Spain’s captain and the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, is set to join Barcelona for £65m on a four-year contract in the coming days.