City Already Agreed to Pay £116M for One Midfielder. Now They’re Watching Another.

Manchester City just committed a ridiculous amount of money to bring Elliot Anderson in from Nottingham Forest. Like, £116 million ridiculous. That’s a done deal according to multiple reports, and Anderson is supposed to be the ready-now Premier League midfielder Pep Guardiola wants in his rotation.

But City are also keeping an eye on someone else. An 18-year-old at Lille named Ayyoub Bouaddi. ESPN reports that the club is monitoring him ahead of a possible move this summer, and if you’re wondering why a team that just spent nine figures on a midfielder would be looking at another one — that’s the part worth digging into.

Two Different Kinds of Moves

Anderson is the finished product. English, Premier League proven, expensive as hell. He walks in and plays right away. Bouaddi is the opposite. He’s a teenager who’s still growing into his frame, still learning how to boss games week in and week out. But his technical ability is legit, and his composure on the ball for an 18-year-old is already drawing comparisons to players way older than him.

Transfermarkt has Bouaddi valued at around €50 million with a contract that runs through 2029. Lille doesn’t need to sell, but they’ve shown before they’ll move players for the right price.

Arsenal Is Also in the Mix

Arsenal have been linked with Bouaddi too. Mikel Arteta wants midfield depth, and Bouaddi is the kind of young player who fits that profile. But the Gunners seem more focused on making a run at Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle, which might give City an opening if they move quickly.

Bouaddi has already played for Morocco at the World Cup. That kind of experience for a teenager doesn’t go unnoticed. Liverpool has also been mentioned as a club keeping tabs on him. So it’s not just a two-horse race.

Why City Would Add a Project Right Now

Part of it is just smart roster planning. City have an older midfield core that’s going to need turnover in the next couple of years. Kevin De Bruyne isn’t getting any younger. Mateo Kovacic is 32. Bouaddi would be the long-term play. He’s not walking into Guardiola’s best XI tomorrow, but his intelligence and ball security make him a high-upside bet for 2028 or 2029.

The other part is that if City wait, his price tag climbs. If one more strong season at Lille happens, the €50 million number starts looking like a bargain. The top clubs in Europe will come calling eventually. Moving now versus waiting until everyone’s in a bidding war — that’s the calculus.

City have not confirmed anything on Bouaddi yet. But between the Anderson agreement and this interest in Lille’s young midfielder, it’s clear the club is thinking about both the present and the future at the same time. That’s not unusual for them. It’s just notable they’re willing to spend this kind of money on both timelines in one window.