Manchester City are working to replace Rodri with Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The Premier League side are close to finalising a £87.5m deal with Lille after agreeing personal terms with the Morocco international.
City have agreed a five-year contract with the 18-year-old and are prepared to meet Lille’s €100m (£87.5m) valuation. The clubs are expected to continue talks this week over bonuses and the structure of the transfer, with the aim of reaching a final agreement soon.
Bouaddi was a priority target for City’s sporting director, Hugo Viana, who maintained contact with Lille president Olivier Letang while the club waited for clarity over Rodri’s future.
City are building an almost entirely new midfield in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s departure. They have already paid €135m (£116m) for Elliot Anderson and allowed Tijjani Reijnders to leave for Al Qadsiah. Bernardo Silva has joined Real Madrid.
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Enzo Fernandez is another target, although Chelsea’s deadline of 14 August for any move for the Argentina midfielder has expired.
The action from yesterday’s Community Shield defeat 📺 pic.twitter.com/VhdP3Ni0qr
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 17, 2026
But can Bouaddi fill Rodri’s great boots at the Etihad? The youngster attracted interest from several leading European clubs during the summer, after impressing for Morocco at the World Cup.
Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were all linked with the teenager.
He helped Morocco reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to France, and became the youngest African teenager to make five appearances at a World Cup.
He had previously represented France at youth level and captained their U-21 side as recently as March before choosing to play for Morocco in May.
Bouaddi could now be set to leave Lille after only one senior season. He featured in their friendly against Everton on 15 August, potentially his final appearance for the French club.
