Manchester City aren't waiting around for Rodri to make his mind up — they're going after Ayyoub Bouaddi regardless, and honestly, that's exactly the kind of thinking that separates genuine title contenders from everyone scrambling to react.
Sources close to the club have told ESPN that City intend to push ahead with a deal for the Lille midfielder irrespective of what happens with Rodri's future at the Etihad. talkSPORT have added that an agreement has effectively been reached, though talks are still ongoing over a potential discount clause in the deal. So the bones are there. This is happening.
Why Bouaddi, Why Now
The BBC have laid out clearly why half of Europe has been circling this kid — and when you look at the list of clubs reportedly interested, it tells you everything about where Bouaddi sits in terms of prospect value. He's a Moroccan teenager operating at Ligue 1 level with the kind of profile that doesn't stay available for long.
City have clearly decided they're not leaving this one to chance. The Rodri situation has dominated headlines at the Etihad for months — injury, recovery, whispers about Real Madrid — and a less organised club would be using that uncertainty as a reason to stall. City are doing the opposite. They're treating Bouaddi as a standalone priority rather than a contingency plan, which is a more honest way to build a squad anyway.
There's a broader point here worth making. The best clubs don't just replace what they have — they recruit ahead of the curve, bring in talent before the obvious gap appears. We saw [Tonali chose Tottenham over City and Arsenal](/getohedz/football/tonali-chose-tottenham-because-he-wanted-to-be-the-man) recently, which shows even elite clubs don't land everyone they go after. Getting Bouaddi tied up now, before a bidding war fully escalates, looks smart from that angle.
The Discount Clause Detail Matters
The talkSPORT report flagging ongoing negotiations over a possible discount clause is worth paying attention to. It suggests City aren't simply paying whatever's asked — there's structured thinking in how they're constructing this deal. A clause like that could relate to sell-on fees, future transfer conditions, or performance-linked reductions. We don't have the confirmed specifics, but the fact it's holding up final confirmation means both parties see enough value in the arrangement to keep talking rather than walk away.
Flashscore have reported City are closing in on getting this done, which lines up with the ESPN intel. The direction of travel is clear enough.
What this doesn't tell us, and what we're not going to pretend we know, is where Bouaddi fits in Guardiola's actual system on day one. He's young, he's from Ligue 1, and City's midfield — even in a difficult season — isn't exactly short of bodies. There's a development curve here that the hype around his name doesn't account for.
Our Take
City recruiting Bouaddi independently of the Rodri saga is the right approach. Tying a major transfer decision to one player's injury recovery or potential exit is how clubs end up reactive and underprepared. They want him on his own merits. That's the correct way to think about it.
Whether the discount clause gets resolved quickly or drags this out, the intent is clear — and intent this early in the window, backed by sources this close to the club, is as close to done as these things get before the ink dries.