Manchester City Poised to Sign Bouaddi as Rodri Leaves for Barcelona
Liverpool’s summer rebuild is gathering pace, but one potential midfield reinforcement is slipping away to a direct rival.
With Rodri bound for Barcelona in one of the window’s defining moves, Manchester City has wasted no time lining up his long-term successor. That decision is about to sting Liverpool.
Rodri out, Bouaddi in – and Liverpool left watching
Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan who lit up the World Cup and has been tracked by Europe’s elite, had emerged as a name on Liverpool’s radar. Young, dynamic, and already tested on the biggest stage, he fit the profile of the next phase of the Anfield rebuild.
Now he is heading to the Etihad instead.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Bouaddi is closing in on a move to Manchester City in the coming days, a direct consequence of Rodri’s departure to Barcelona. Personal terms are already agreed. The only unknown is the final structure of the deal between City and Lille, with reports suggesting the fee could soar well beyond $100 million.
Earlier suggestions from France indicated Lille wanted Bouaddi back on loan for a year. That idea has been brushed aside. Romano reports that City plan to bring him in immediately to strengthen Enzo Maresca’s options, adding another major piece to a midfield that already includes the $157 million signing of Elliot Anderson earlier in the window.
City lose Rodri. City land Bouaddi. The machine keeps turning.
Liverpool’s rebuild takes a different route
Across the North West, Liverpool’s approach has been more methodical than explosive. Andoni Iraola has been clear: he needs more quality and depth, but the squad is being reshaped step by step.
The backline has been the first big project. Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo have both arrived at Anfield, seeking more minutes and a bigger role in a defence that needed fresh legs and fresh ideas.
Up front, the club has already moved to add Victor Munoz to the forward line, and the search out wide is far from over. PSG pair Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye remain live targets, both capable of operating on either flank and offering the kind of versatility Iraola demands from his wide players.
Once the winger situation is resolved, attention was always likely to drift back towards the centre of the pitch. Not because the cupboard is bare, but because change is coming.
Curtis Jones is expected to leave, and Alexis Mac Allister’s contract situation still hangs in the air. Those two factors opened the door to talk of a new midfield signing, with Bouaddi one of the more eye-catching names linked.
That door has just slammed shut.
No panic in Liverpool’s engine room – yet
Missing out on Bouaddi will frustrate some at Anfield, especially with City again snapping up one of Europe’s brightest young midfielders. But this is not an area of immediate crisis for Liverpool.
Trey Nyoni’s breakthrough last season changed the picture. The youngster has followed that up with an impressive preseason, making a compelling case for a long-term role in the heart of Iraola’s midfield. His emergence buys Liverpool time.
Around him, the club has already locked in key pillars for the future. Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Florian Wirtz are all tied to long-term deals, giving Iraola a core that can grow together and carry the side through the next cycle.
For now, that structure holds. The priority remains sorting the defence and the wide areas, not tearing up the midfield.
Next summer could be a very different story. If Mac Allister enters the final year of his contract, Liverpool may be forced into a major decision and a more aggressive move in the market.
By then, though, one thing looks certain: Ayyoub Bouaddi will not be on the list.
