Manchester City have agreed to sign Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth £86 million ($117 million), according to reports on Sunday.
City moved for Bouaddi after selling Rodri to Barcelona and Tijjani Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah.
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.
City have been in talks with Lille for several weeks and have finally reached an agreement for Bouaddi, who will travel to England to complete a medical before finalising his switch to the Etihad Stadium.
Bouaddi was omitted from Lille’s squad for Sunday’s 2-0 win at Angers despite taking part in the warm-up.
“We protected Ayyoub and the club, we didn’t take any risks,” the northern outfit’s sports coordinator Sylvain Armand told Ligue 1+.
“In the past hours, things have advanced a lot concerning his departure.
“The president will announce things when it’s time, it’s advanced well, there are a few details to confirm, the deal’s not far off,” he added.
Bouaddi will join England midfielder Elliot Anderson in City’s revamped midfield.
Maresca made central midfield a key area for new signings after replacing Pep Guardiola as manager at the end of last season.
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.
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