Manchester City are pushing to sign World Cup star Ayyoub Bouaddi – and that could spell the end for a couple of players.
The Athletic have reported that Manchester City are very much looking to bring in the Morocco international after already signing Elliot Anderson.
And the plan would be to integrate him immediately, not send him back on loan to his club Lille.
💰 Man City are pushing HARD to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, but have been quoted £87m… What is MAX City should pay to sign him?
Bouaddi’s valuation is believed to be about £85 million, which is obviously absolutely huge.
But then, we are talking about a player with absolutely huge potential, and an already high level of play at the current moment.
Talk of Bouaddi is exciting for City fans, but it will surely leave a couple of current players sweating over their futures.
Man City duo will be sweating over Ayyoub Bouaddi links
Bouaddi coming in would almost certainly lead to one of the current options leaving.
Tijjani Reijnders has been linked with an exit this summer, just one year after he joined from AC Milan.
While he did have some disappointing games in his first season, there was perhaps just enough there to warrant City keeping hold of him.
He is a source of goals from midfield, and Reijnders could well improve under Enzo Maresca.
That leaves two candidates who could leave if Bouaddi came in; Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic.
Gonzalez arrived at City in January 2025 and has made 58 appearances for the club.
The likes of Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders and Rico Lewis are among the Man City players who could reportedly leave this summer 🤨
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He’s actually turned in some very good displays, but the presence of Rodri and Bernardo Silva last season meant he struggled to start regularly, especially in the second half of the season.
And then there’s Kovacic. He missed most of last season through injury, and has been suggested as a potential exit this summer. He has just one year left on his deal.
Kovacic could still be a useful player for Maresca, but the club may see more value in selling him. That would see them head into the season with Rodri, Anderson, Bouaddi, Gonzalez and Reijnders as options for the middle.
Kovacic is actually probably the most similar to Bouaddi in terms of play style.
City’s Croatian maestro is known for being press-resistant and can also carry the ball through the lines and progress it. This is already a staple of Bouaddi’s game, as is his general footballing intelligence, which Kovacic has in abundance.
So it would perhaps be Kovacic who’d go if Bouaddi did come in, as there would be little point carrying two players so similar stylistically.
Gonzalez could also still be vulnerable. But it’s thought that Maresca prefers to work with a larger group of players than Pep Guardiola.
