Manchester City have agreed a deal worth £86m for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and have made a decision on a potential move for Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, according to The Guardian.
City boss Enzo Maresca pushed for midfield reinforcements after the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, and the club have responded by signing Bouaddi, an 18-year-old who impressed at the World Cup with Morocco.
Bouaddi deal and interest from rivals
The £86m agreement includes an initial fee of €95m (£81.4m) plus €5m in potential add-ons. Bouaddi had attracted interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea before making nearly 100 appearances for Lille.
His performances for Morocco at the World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing to France, enhanced his reputation across Europe.
Enzo Fernandez move still possible
Despite the Bouaddi signing, Manchester City remain interested in Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez. The Argentina World Cup finalist has made it clear he wants to leave Stamford Bridge after a proposed move to Real Madrid failed to materialise.
Fernandez is open to joining City, where he would reunite with former Chelsea boss Maresca. However, Chelsea are demanding £120m for the midfielder, while City value him at a lower figure.
City's midfield struggles in opener
City's midfield looked vulnerable in their Premier League opener against Bournemouth, but they came from behind to win 2-1. Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth the lead before Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol scored late goals for City.
Matchwinner Gvardiol said: 'Everyone is proud in the moment, it's the opening game of the season and we know how important it is, especially with all the changes we've had in the previous weeks. We need to enjoy this, we deserve it and I'm happy with the three points.'
City had already spent £116m on England's Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, but Maresca wanted further additions after Rodri's £65m move to Barcelona. The club's pursuit of Fernandez will depend on whether they can agree a fee with Chelsea.
