Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Enzo Maresca has acknowledged Manchester City are set for a busy end to the transfer window, with reports suggesting Rodri is set to depart with Ayyoub Bouaddi coming in.
Maresca’s first competitive game in charge of City ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday, as his team were trounced 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff.
Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners as they racked up the biggest margin of victory in a Community Shield match since 2014, when they also beat City 3-0.
City were all at sea defensively in the absence of Rodri, the Golden Ball recipient at this year’s World Cup, and it looks as though he has played his final game for the club.
On Sunday, widespread reports suggested Barcelona had agreed a €76m (£65m) fee with City to sign the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, who has won 13 trophies in seven years at the Etihad Stadium.
Maresca, though, insisted City’s issues were not only limited to replacing Rodri, saying: “Rodri is a player that just won the World Cup, who won the Ballon d’Or.
“He’s a top player and all teams need a player like him. It’s not about whether we miss Rodri or not.”
The City boss nodded when asked about a potential move for Lille’s 18-year-old midfielder Bouaddi, who could reportedly cost up to €100m (£85m) after impressing for Morocco at the World Cup.
“He is still a Lille player,” Maresca said of the teenager. “But with any new signings, the sooner they arrive, the better, because we have the Premier League starting in one week.
“We knew already before the game the things that we needed to do. It is not because we lost the game.
“We are quite clear. For sure, we are going to do something before the transfer window closes.”
The action from yesterday’s Community Shield defeat pic.twitter.com/VhdP3Ni0qr
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 17, 2026
Maresca dropped a further hint concerning Rodri’s departure when he was asked about the make-up of City’s leadership group.
With Bernardo Silva also departing for Real Madrid earlier this summer, Maresca said Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland were the only captains remaining in City’s squad, with two more to be selected at the end of the transfer window.
“At the moment it is Ruben and Erling, and I want to wait until the end of the transfer window and pick two more,” Maresca said.
“Ruben has shown during his time at this club how he is as a player, in terms of his leadership.
“It’s important for the captains and the leaders to know that the reason they are captains is because I expect more from them.
“It’s not because I give them more freedom or advantage. It’s the opposite, the leadership group and captains have to show more and give more than the others.”
City open their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on Sunday, with reports suggesting they hope to complete the signing of Bouaddi before that match.
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez has also been suggested as a possible midfield target, after the wantaway Argentine was booed by some supporters during the Blues’ friendly win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.
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