Ayyoub Bouaddi joins Manchester City from Lille in £85m deal
Manchester City have signed 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £85m, the transfer reported on 26 August 2026. He arrives as the club seeks a long-term replacement for Rodri following the Spaniard’s departure to Barcelona.
Bouaddi is the only boy among four siblings, passed all his exams a year early and is studying for a mathematics degree remotely while being capable of speaking English. He is described as a studious character who plays chess on the team bus and, in the evenings, prioritised mathematics, physics and science over games and phones, according to Lille’s former head of academy recruitment Mathieu Frison.
Scouts first spotted Bouaddi playing for his home-town team in Creil and Lille signed him at 13 after Frison visited the family to outline a pathway to the first team. He made his European debut three days after his 16th birthday, featured for three full seasons in Lille’s first team, was selected for the World Cup this summer and on his 17th birthday played 90 minutes against Real Madrid in a 1-0 victory.
Frison offered several assessments of Bouaddi’s qualities, saying: “He’s like a computer,” and recalling how the youngster arrived at that first meeting “with the ball on a string” and showed early technical skill. Frison also emphasised Bouaddi’s tactical reliability: “When Maresca asks him to do something tactically, he knows that 100% Ayyoub will take the best position for the team,” and added, “He will respect the game model with intensity, even when he is tired; he will respect the process.”
Former France under-18 coach Landry Chauvin praised Bouaddi’s intelligence and versatility, saying: “Bouaddi, for me, is one of the smartest players I’ve known in my coaching career.” Chauvin also described him as: “A very intelligent boy who adapts quickly, capable of playing in every position in the middle, capable of evolving in a changing environment, permanently working hard, but also always with his head held high.”
City’s recruitment in midfield has continued amid wider changes: the club appointed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, Enzo Maresca is rebuilding the midfield for the long term after Rodri’s exit, a £52m deal has been agreed for Nico González to join Newcastle and Enzo Fernández is wanted by his former Chelsea manager. Observers note Bouaddi is not a flashy creator but someone who “does the dirty work and plays for the team.”
Emulating Rodri will not be straightforward and Bouaddi “has plenty of developing to do,” yet Frison argued City will gain a dependable performer: “Everyone wants a player who can make the difference individually because they can help you to win the game but you need reliable players who you can trust 100% during 60 games of the season. And Ayyoub, he’s this kind of player.”