Manchester City signed highly rated teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth $117 million on Wednesday, securing a rising star seen as the Premier League giant’s long-term replacement for Rodri.
The 18-year-old Morocco international signed a five-year contract, City said, for a fee of 95 million euros ($110 million) plus 5 million euros in add-ons.
Bouaddi, a deep-lying midfielder, is being viewed as the replacement for 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who recently joined Barcelona after helping Spain win the World Cup.
City’s midfield rebuild under manager Enzo Maresca, who has replaced Pep Guardiola, has also seen the club spend $155 million on England international Elliot Anderson and is unlikely to stop there, given Bernardo Silva has already left after his contract expired and Nico Gonzalez has traveled to Newcastle to tie up a transfer.
Newcastle announced Wednesday that it signed the 24-year-old González on a long-term deal from City.
Gonzalez joined Barcelona’s youth squads as an 11-year-old and made his first-team debut on the opening day of the 2021-22 Spanish league season. He joined Valencia on loan the following season, before making a permanent switch to Portugal’s Porto in 2023 and then joining Man City in 2025.
Newcastle coach Matthias Jaissle said Gonzalez “brings serious quality and elite experience in a key area of the pitch.”
Reports in the British media say City retains an interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The fee makes Bouaddi the most expensive player sold from the French league, surpassing the 90 million euros Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal paid to get Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, and the costliest teenage signing in Premier League history.
“This is a very special day for me and my family,” Bouaddi said. “I’ve watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners, this club feels like it’s built to win.”
Rising Star
Although Bouaddi impressed at the World Cup with his assured touch, tactical understanding and maturity, he had already caught the eye two years ago.
At the start of his career he was being touted as Lille’s best midfielder since Eden Hazard, who left to become a Premier League star with Chelsea.
Bouaddi joined Lille’s academy in 2021 and, just three days after his 16th birthday, became the youngest player to appear in a European game in a Europa Conference League match last October against KI Klaksvík.
City’s director of football, Hugo Viana, described Bouaddi as “a player equipped with everything a top midfielder needs.”
“At just 18, he already has outstanding football intelligence and that will only improve under the guidance of Enzo,” Viana said.
“We have watched him very, very closely and throughout that process we have become increasingly convinced he is a huge talent who will thrive at City.”
Bouaddi’s skill set may be lacking in one area: goals. He did not score in 96 games for Lille and has yet to find the net in eight games for Morocco.
“I am only 18. I am happy with the progress I have made so far, but I also know I can improve so much,” he said. “This is undoubtedly the best place for me to do that.”
Big Sales
Lille has earned a reputation as one of best sellers of talented players in European soccer.
The northern club sold Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal in 2019 for 80 million euros and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen went to Napoli the following year for a similar amount.
Manchester United paid 62 million euros for central defender Leny Yoro two years ago.
Last year, goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for 40 million euros and center back Bafode Diakite went to Bournemouth, for around the same fee.
Bouaddi’s Debut Could Come On Friday
City beat Bournemouth 2-1 in its season opener on Sunday thanks to a pair of late goals, marking a successful start to Maresca’s tenure following the departure of Guardiola after a trophy-laden 10-year spell.
In that game, Maresca played Marc Guehi — a center back — as a holding midfielder, a sign that City was short of options in that area. Bouaddi will solve that and could make his debut against Crystal Palace on Friday.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
