City's £85 million Rodri replacement! City closing in on wonderkid transfer

City are preparing for life without Rodri.

Details: According to The Guardian, Manchester City are on the verge of signing Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The French club values their 18-year-old prodigy at €100 million (£85 million), and negotiations have entered the final stretch.

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Bouaddi emerged as one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Cup, helping Morocco reach the semi-finals. Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich all showed interest in the holding midfielder, but it's City who are closest to landing the player: according to insider Nicolo Schira, Bouaddi has already agreed personal terms with City on a deal until 2031.

For Enzo Maresca's side, this is already their second major midfield signing of the summer: earlier, City broke the British transfer record by signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million. The complete midfield overhaul is directly linked to Rodri's move to Barcelona.

It's worth noting that after the World Cup, Bouaddi's value on Transfermarkt soared from €50 million to €80 million, making him the most expensive Moroccan footballer, overtaking Achraf Hakimi.

Reminder: Man City target Chelsea's leader! A high-profile replacement for Rodri in the works.