Man City are “on the verge” of reaching an agreement with Lille for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Enzo Maresca’s side have been in talks to sign the Moroccan international for quite some time, but posting on his X account, Romano said:

🚨🇲🇦 The negotiations for Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City are moving to the final stages, deal very close between clubs.

Man City are on the verge of reaching an agreement with Lille for Bouaddi while talks on player side are ongoing. 🩵⏳ pic.twitter.com/EJYzU5xVhi

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 7, 2026

Bouaddi is likely to cost around €100m (£86m), although there is still some uncertainty over whether the Cityzens will sign him straight away or allow the player to remain in France on loan for another season.

Man City have already made 4 signings this summer

Maresca’s team have splashed out just over £150m on new additions during the current transfer window. Elliot Anderson was the most expensive at £116m.

However, three young players have also been snapped up – Mathys Detourbet (from Troyes for £21.5m), Jeremy Monga (from Leicester City for £12m) and Pierce Charles (from Sheffield Wednesday for £3m).

Bouaddi is not the only imminent arrival

Reports in the French media suggest that City have agreed a deal to sign Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for €3.5m (£3m).

The Argentinian international is set to replace James Trafford in the first-team squad, with the 23-year-old having now officially joined Leeds United in a deal worth over £40m.

Rulli is unlikely to play that often, with Gianluigi Donnarumma deemed the undisputed number one. He could get some outings in the domestic cups, although Maresca may have a slightly different attitude to team selection for these tournaments compared to his predecessor, Pep Guardiola.

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