Rodri is officially out the door at Manchester City, heading to Barcelona in a massive move that David Ornstein from The Athletic confirms is worth £65 million plus another £10 million in add-ons. This isn’t just a simple transfer, folks. Our midfield general made it clear he wanted his move back to Spain, and now it’s happening, setting off a chain reaction for City’s midfield.
The Big Money Exit Clears the Path
This move, which sees Rodri getting what he desired, totally paves the way for City to finally complete their play to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. We’ve seen these dominoes fall before, right? One big departure sets the wheels in motion for the next big thing. With Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders both on their way out, City absolutely needed to bolster that midfield, and fast.
New Blood: Bouaddi Joins the Squad
Fabrizio Romano, who always seems to know everything, is reporting that City is securing Bouaddi from Lille. This isn’t some loan-back deal either. Romano says Bouaddi is joining Enzo Maresca’s squad this summer and will be a full-time part of the team for the 2026-27 season. We’re talking about an 18-year-old talent who thrives as a holding midfielder, someone earmarked as one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe thanks to his performances for Lille and Morocco. He’s set to partner Elliot Anderson in City’s midfield, and if they sign him, which all indications point to, Maresca’s squad will be immediately strengthened.
This whole midfield rebuild, threatened for a while, is now in full swing. The sooner this Bouaddi deal gets done, the better. Hugo Viana and the crew need to finalize this so they can keep pushing to further bolster Maresca’s squad. With the transfer window set to close in just two weeks, City has no other alternative. They need to get this done.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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