Man City move for £85m Bouaddi and still want Fernandez

Manchester City are negotiating with Lille for 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the Premier League club aiming to finalize the transfer this week. In return for selling Rodri to Barcelona, Lille estimates Bouaddi's value at £85.6m. City are also pursuing Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, with the BBC Sport reporting the interest after the Argentinian's potential departure from Chelsea was delayed due to a self-imposed deadline.

Successful acquisitions of both Bouaddi and Fernandez would mark three high-profile midfield signings for City since signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Bouaddi's impressive World Cup performance, including starting all six of Morocco's matches, and his contributions to Lille's recent Champions League victory over Real Madrid have drawn attention to the young player's talent.

The midfielder is comfortable in a deep-lying conductor role, providing support for Anderson, who excels in both box-to-box and number six positions. Since his debut in October 2023, Bouaddi has played 88 matches for Lille, helping them secure third place in Ligue 1 last season. Meanwhile, City continues to target Fernandez, though Chelsea is unlikely to let him go due to their deadline for bids having passed. The transfer saga is expected to remain in focus before the September 1 deadline.