The overwhelming 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield has set off alarm bells at Manchester City, which is already working in the market to face a possible departure of Rodri Hernández and rebuild its midfield.
The team led by Pep Guardiola accelerated, just a few hours after the setback in Cardiff, the negotiations for Ayyoub Bouaddi, a Lille midfielder who is barely 18 years old. The footballer, of Moroccan origin, is considered one of the great promises of his generation, although his arrival would not immediately resolve the enormous void that Rodri would leave.
Lille have reportedly set Bouaddi’s price at €100 million (£86 million), an amount that would make him the third most expensive signing in City history, only behind Jack Grealish and Elliot Anderson.
The operation responds more to a bet on the future than to the search for a direct replacement for Rodri. The Spaniard, Ballon d’Or winner in 2024, has been the fundamental piece of City’s midfield for the last seven years. His absence due to injury in the 2023-24 season caused, precisely, one of the team’s worst moments during the Guardiola era.
Bouaddi would have to assume an adaptation process similar to the one Rodri experienced when he arrived at the club in 2019, although then the Spaniard had Fernandinho’s experience as a reference. For the short term, City trusts in Elliot Anderson, signed for 130 million euros, while keeping a much more ambitious operation open: the hiring of Enzo Fernández.
The Argentine is one of Guardiola’s great options to reinforce the midfield and also has the support of an old acquaintance: Enzo Maresca, who already managed him at Chelsea and with whom he won the Conference League and the Club World Cup.
Enzo’s situation at Stamford Bridge could also favor the operation. The midfielder has hinted at his desire to leave Chelsea and in the past he even pointed out Madrid as his ideal destination for him and his family. Furthermore, the relationship with the ‘blue’ fans is not going through its best moment. This weekend he was booed during a friendly at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine also draws criticism for his behavior during Argentina’s victory over England in the World Cup semifinals. However, a good season could put those differences behind us.
The main obstacle is economic. Chelsea would have set a price of 140 million euros to allow the player to leave. The ‘blues’ also set a deadline to receive an offer: last Friday at 5:00 p.m. City did not present any proposal within that period.
The decision had an explanation: Chelsea did not want to get rid of one of its best players and run out of time to find a replacement in the market.
With two weeks still ahead to make moves, Manchester City’s needs could change the scenario. The club is aware that Mateo Kovacic and Nico González cannot assume the role that Rodri would leave behind on their own.
If City decides to exceed the 140 million euros demanded by Chelsea, especially taking into account that they could earn around 70 million for the departure of Rodri, Enzo Fernández could finally fulfill his wish to leave Stamford Bridge.
