Manchester City have agreed terms with Ayyoub Bouaddi and are in advanced talks with Lille over a potential £86m transfer deal.
The talented young Morocco international is one of the most exciting talents in Europe’s big five leagues at the moment, and looks like an ideal long-term replacement for Man City star Rodri.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
It seems the Bouaddi deal could be closely linked with Rodri’s future, according to talkSPORT.
Their report states that City are in advanced negotiations over signing Bouaddi for around £86m, but that it still needs to be determined if the 18-year-old will move to the Etihad Stadium straight away or spend one more season in Ligue 1.
Still, it seems there is a chance of MCFC signing Bouaddi straight away as the report clearly states: “A deal for Bouaddi could lead to Rodri leaving City for Real Madrid.”
Can Ayyoub Bouaddi replace Rodri?
Rodri has been a tremendous servant to City down the years, playing 298 games for the club and winning multiple major honours, including the club’s famous treble in 2022/23.
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
The Spain international also just won the World Cup with his country this summer, so these will be very big boots for Bouaddi or anyone else to fill.
See below as the data quite clearly shows that Bouaddi isn’t there just yet…
Rodri vs Ayyoub Bouaddi stats graphic (DataMB)
Still, City also have new signing Elliot Anderson in midfield, so it won’t just fall on Bouaddi to be Rodri’s successor, and he’s still at such an early stage in his career anyway that there’s plenty of time for him to develop into a world class player.
The teenager has shown immense potential so far, but it’s also perhaps a bit soon for him to go straight into the starting XI for a big club like City.
It might be…
..
