City moved for Bouaddi after selling Spain’s World Cup winning captain Rodri to Barcelona and Tijjani Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah, with Nico Gonzalez also poised to leave the Etihad. Manchester City have signed teenage Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a five-year deal the French club said Wednesday was worth 100 million euros (86 million pounds, $117 million). The 18-year-old rising star was one of the stand-out players at the recent World Cup, helping Morocco reach the quarter-finals before they were beaten by France.
“Manchester City are, for me, the best Club in the world.
“This is a very special day for me and my family,” Bouaddi said in a statement on the City website.
City are also believed to retain an interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, but the Blues set a recent deadline for bids for the £120 million-rated Argentine that passed without a deal being done. City were thrashed 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield, but they started their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
“It’s a dream to be here and be able to call myself a City player. I have spent most of my life working hard to become the best player I can be and reach the top of the game. “City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners — this Club feels like it’s built to win.”
