Man City seal £86m Bouaddi signing and turn attention to Enzo Fernandez before deadline

Manchester City have signed Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for a fee of £85.6m, with the club immediately shifting focus to a potential move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The 18-year-old Morocco international becomes City’s second major midfield signing of the summer, following the £116m arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Bouaddi impressed at the World Cup, where he was particularly prominent against Brazil before Morocco were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals.

The teenager described himself as a team-first operator suited to the holding role. “I would say I am a player who plays for the team,” Bouaddi said. “I am a really collective player. I try to put my teammate in the best position and to give everything every time for the team. I think the most important aspect is to try to balance the team, help your teammates. We know as a No.6 that you’re not going to score 20 goals in a season — so you have to balance the team and do everything for the team and do your job.”

The signings reflect the scale of City’s midfield reconstruction under Enzo Maresca. The club lost Rodri to Barcelona for £65m and Tijjani Reinders to Saudi side Al-Qadsiah for £52m, while Bernardo Silva departed on a free transfer to Real Madrid. Nico Gonzalez has also been linked with a move to Newcastle.

With those departures creating a significant void, City are now reportedly considering a third centre-midfield addition. Maresca has strong ties with Fernandez from his time in English football, though Chelsea have previously held out for upwards of £120m for the Argentina international. Whether City are willing to meet that valuation before the window closes remains to be seen.