Breaking: Lille coach confirms Manchester City are in contact with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi!

After Rodri left Man City to join Barcelona on a four-year deal until 2030, Manchester City are close to signing a replacement, the outstanding Moroccan Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Confirmations have arrived from Lille, the English club is now in the final stages of signing Ayoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old who impressed at the World Cup with Morocco and whose market value is 100 million euros.

• read more: Fabrizio Romano: It's done, Rodri signs for Barça for €70M

Davide Ancelotti confirms Man City's interest in A Ayyoub Bouaddi

Italian coach Davide Achilleotti, who is in his first season with Lille, confirmed that the Moroccan player, who is performing exceptionally well with his team in all competitions, is under the watchful eye of Manchester City, and that the English club is currently conducting ongoing negotiations to sign the player at the best possible price.

Bouaddi is a very good player. He is available [in terms of his fitness] and he played 45 minutes. But that is only because I have to manage his minutes. Next week we start the season and I consider him as an available player for me. Of course, there are negotiations. There is interest from so many clubs. He is a really, really good player and I hope that he is going to stay with us. What makes him so special? He has a huge personality.

Davide Achilleotti stated.

He is incredibly intelligent on and off the pitch, he is really mature. He is 18 years old but he looks like he is 32 when he is on the pitch. Technically he is really complete. He is also physical, really strong in duels. He's going to be one of the best midfielders in Europe for the next 10 years

Davide Achilleotti added on Ayyoub Bouaddi performance.

The Best replecment for Rodri

The potential arrival of the young prospect at the Etihad would go some way toward softening the blow of losing influential captain Rodri, who has set his sights on a summer switch to Barcelona. The Catalan giants have tabled a third bid—believed to be in the region of £60 million—for the 30-year-old Spaniard, and they remain hopeful that a compromise can be struck with the Premier League champions.

Meanwhile, City's interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez persists, even though Friday's deadline came and went without the required £120 million offer materializing from Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Tottenham are expected to enter the fray with a formal approach for City winger Savinho in the coming days.

Over in west London, Fernandez endured a deeply uncomfortable afternoon during Chelsea's pre-season friendly on Saturday, as he made his first home appearance of the summer. The atmosphere turned distinctly peculiar from the moment he was introduced just past the hour mark—a section of the home support greeted him with audible boos, while others defiantly chanted his name in response.

That same fractured dynamic played out repeatedly whenever the ball found its way to the Argentine in midfield: waves of discontent from one corner of the crowd, swiftly countered by pockets of encouragement from elsewhere, creating an awkward, schizophrenic soundtrack to his return.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

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