**Ayyoub Bouaddi’s move to Man City is getting closer, with Fabrizio Romano reporting on the transfer today.**
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It’s been a busy morning for Fabrizio Romano – they usually are, in early August. He’s reporting in one of the big stories of the day, which is Rodri’s emerging move to Barcelona.
While the Blaugrana’s initial €50m offer has been rejected, there seems to be a lot of confidence that things will move quickly towards a conclusion. If that happens, Man City will have lost a key midfield player without much time to replace them.
There’s a lot of talk that Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea could be their chosen man to come in and replace Rodri. But Enzo is more of a box-crasher than a natural tempo setter. If they want a passer, the better option is young Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi – and given the Rodri news it should be no surprise that the Cityzens are closing in on the Morocco star.
Man City’s midfield gap could be filled instantly
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Fabrizio Romano’s latest update claims that the negotiations for Bouaddi are “moving to the final stages”, and that a deal is “very close” between the two clubs.
Talks on the player side remain ongoing, but they shouldn’t be a problem given how much of a dream move this could be for the young Ligue 1 star.
The question now is whether this deal is wrapped up before the Rodri move happens. Could we potentially see both Enzo and Bouaddi join City as a two-part replacement for the Spaniard?
It’s going to be a very interesting final few weeks of the window at the Etihad, that’s for sure.