Manchester City are on the verge of signing Elliot Anderson, after agreeing a £116m [€134.5m] fee with Nottingham Forest.
The Premier League side are yet to appoint Pep Guardiola’s successor, and all signs point to Enzo Maresca replacing him.
After making concrete progress to sign Anderson, the Citizens are now focusing on Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The 18-year-old is a product of the Ligue 1 side’s academy and made his way into their first team in 2023. Since then, he has gained more prominence, playing 3,153 minutes from 42 matches last season.
Manchester City keen on Bouaddi
ESPN Deportes journalist Rodra took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a short update on the Etihad club. He claims Manchester City are ‘now the team best positioned’ to sign the youngster.
There’s no mention of any other club that are behind the Citizens in the transfer race.
A move would depend on Rodri’s future. The Spain international’s contract expires in 2027, and it isn’t clear whether he will stay at Manchester City beyond this window.
Marca states the Etihad club are ‘very interested’ in the Morocco international. Their journalist, Matteo Moretto, pushed the claim on X.
He adds Manchester City have already had direct contact with the Ligue 1 side, likely to ask the conditions to secure Ayyoub Bouaddi’s services.
The two reporters make no mention of whether the star is open to joining Manchester City.
Manchester City face competition
On June 13th, we relayed news that Arsenal are ready to challenge Paris Saint-Germain in the race for Ayyoub Bouaddi. Lille president Olivier Létang, who values the youngster at €70m, favours selling him to a club outside France.
Two days later, Sport Witness covered claims from France of Chelsea joining the race to sign the Moroccan.
Manchester City have to overcome competition from these three clubs and pay €70m to Lille to secure his services.
Bouaddi has a contract until 2029 and his value, as per Transfermarkt, is €50m.