Manchester City Closing in on Ayyoub Bouaddi as Rodri Leaves for Barcelona
Liverpool’s summer rebuild has moved with a measured pace. Now it risks losing one of its more intriguing midfield possibilities to a direct Premier League rival.
Manchester City is closing in on Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, a player who had been monitored by Liverpool after his eye-catching performances for Morocco at the World Cup. The move is being driven by a major domino elsewhere in Europe: Rodri’s switch to Barcelona, a transfer that has forced City to act decisively in the market.
City move fast as Rodri heads for Barcelona
Rodri’s departure has ripped a sizeable hole in City’s midfield structure. Rather than patch it, Enzo Maresca appears intent on reshaping it, with Bouaddi now lined up as part of the new core.
According to Fabrizio Romano, personal terms between Bouaddi and City are already agreed, with the deal expected to be completed in the coming days. The fee between City and Lille remains under wraps, though earlier reports suggested the French club’s valuation could soar beyond $100 million.
Lille had previously been linked with a plan to bring Bouaddi back on loan for a season, but that idea seems to have been pushed aside. Romano reports that City intend to bring the 18-year-old in immediately, adding him straight to Maresca’s first-team options. He would join a midfield group already bolstered by the $157 million signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window.
For Liverpool, it removes a live option from a list that was already relatively short.
Liverpool’s priorities lie elsewhere – for now
Andoni Iraola’s first summer at Anfield has focused on shoring up the back line and refreshing the attack, rather than tearing up the midfield.
At the back, Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo have arrived in search of more minutes and a bigger role, signalling a clear attempt to raise the level of competition in defence. Up front, Victor Munoz has been added, and Liverpool remain active in the wide areas.
PSG duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye are both on the radar, with their ability to operate on either flank making them attractive options for a front line that could soon look very different.
Only once the wide positions are addressed is a full-scale midfield push expected. That is partly because Iraola is not short of bodies in the centre of the pitch. Yet change is looming there too.
Midfield in transition, but no emergency
Curtis Jones is widely expected to move on, while uncertainty hangs over Alexis Mac Allister’s contract situation. Those two factors have opened the door to speculation about fresh midfield arrivals, Bouaddi among them.
Now that City are set to land the Moroccan, Liverpool will have to look elsewhere if they choose to act this summer. The blow is softened by the current state of their engine room.
Trey Nyoni’s breakthrough last season has rolled into a standout preseason, and the 17-year-old is pushing hard for a long-term role at the heart of Iraola’s midfield. His emergence changes the equation. It buys Liverpool time.
Alongside Nyoni, the club have already locked in key pieces for the future. Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Florian Wirtz are all tied to long-term deals, giving Iraola a young, technically gifted core to build around.
Right now, that looks like enough to avoid panic. The need for a major midfield signing is real, but not urgent.
Next summer could tell a different story. If Mac Allister enters the final year of his contract, Liverpool may be forced into a more aggressive reset in the middle of the park.
When that moment comes, one thing seems certain: Ayyoub Bouaddi will not be on the list. He will be wearing sky blue, shaping City’s next midfield era, while Liverpool decide how bold they want to be with their own.
