How Man City Signing Bouaddi Could Trigger a Stunning Transfer Chain Reaction

Manchester City's anticipated acquisition of Ayyoub Bouaddi may not be the final piece of business at the Etihad Stadium this summer, and could potentially trigger further activity before the transfer window shuts next week.

Bouaddi is set to arrive at City from Ligue 1 side Lille for a guaranteed $111 million (£81.3 million), with add-ons pushing the total fee to just under $117 million. This comes on top of the $153 million deal that brought Elliot Anderson to east Manchester from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer.

However, with Rodri now departed to Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders heading off to Saudi Arabia and the increasing probability that Nico González also moves to Newcastle United before the deadline, City could reasonably pursue a third high-profile midfield signing.

González failed to feature in Sunday's comeback victory against Bournemouth. Marc Guéhi was unexpectedly deployed in midfield, a decision Enzo Maresca admitted he came up with spontaneously in the days before the match: "Sometimes you visualize things."

Man City Short of Midfielders Even With Bouaddi Incoming

The Guéhi experiment could also be interpreted as a subtle signal to City's senior management that the midfield remains thin on numbers. Mateo Kovačić, entering the final year of his contract and set to turn 33 before the season ends, was kept on the bench until coming on to replace an injured Anderson, who was already struggling to adapt to his new role.

Nico O'Reilly, originally a midfielder in the academy but successfully converted into a left back at senior level by Pep Guardiola, was handed the No. 10 role but made little impact.

Without venturing back into the market for a third midfield addition, Maresca's squad may not possess the depth required to compete across four competitions in the months ahead.

$425 Million Midfield Rebuild Offset by Sales

Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Alex Scott and Adam Wharton are all being mentioned as potential central midfield targets. Fernández, who thrived under Maresca at Chelsea, is not a new name on the list and, despite an informal Chelsea deadline for bids having passed, a late move for the Argentine has not been dismissed.

Fernández could command a fee of $163.7 million (£120 million), which would surpass City's transfer record set by Anderson and push the total midfield expenditure to approximately $425 million (£312 million) for the summer. Chelsea would prefer to retain Fernández, but receiving the second-largest transfer fee in Premier League history may well justify letting go of a player who was internally sanctioned last season for publicly expressing his desire to join Real Madrid.

But an enormous spend is underpinned by a lot of money coming back into the club.

If González couldn't break into the starting lineup even before Bouaddi's arrival, the Moroccan teenager's signing effectively ends his time at the club. The Times reports that a proposed $68.2 million (£50 million) move for the Spaniard to Newcastle is edging "closer" to being finalised.

In addition to already offloading Rodri, Reijnders, James Trafford, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké for around $248 million (£182 million), further funds will flow back in through the anticipated sale of Savinho to Tottenham Hotspur for up to $115.9 million (£85 million). Omar Marmoush is expected to join Spurs on loan, with a permanent $68.2 million transfer to follow next year.

Once City have completed their sales, total transfer income for the summer—excluding Marmoush's projected 2027 move—could surpass $432 million (£317 million). With modest fees also spent on Jeremy Monga, Pierce Charles and Geronimo Rulli, the net outlay for the window would be minimal.

Bouaddi Transfer Pulls Real Madrid in

Bouaddi's move to City does not exist in a vacuum, and Lille are actively searching for a replacement.

Despite receiving a substantial windfall, the Ligue 1 outfit is not inclined to splash out on a marquee name. Instead, they will look to develop another promising young talent, with The Athletic reporting that Real Madrid's 19-year-old prospect Thiago Pitarch is their primary target.

Thus far, Los Blancos have turned down Lille's approach and plan to keep Pitarch at the club. Lille head coach Davide Ancelotti previously served as an assistant at Real Madrid under his father, Carlo.

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Midfielders Who Have Left Man City Since 2020

The reason Manchester City find themselves needing this midfield overhaul is the sheer volume of departures from the engine room, which has accelerated dramatically over the past 12 months.