Lille's Cestero interest hints Bouaddi exit is all but done
Lille have already started planning for the departure of Ayyoub Bouaddi, with Real Madrid's Jorge Cestero emerging as their preferred replacement for the midfielder expected to join City.
Bouaddi's move to the Etihad has been one of the summer's defining sagas. City have spent weeks trying to structure a deal that suits all parties, and the 18-year-old is understood to have agreed personal terms. What remains is the finer detail: Lille want to keep him on loan for the 2026-27 season, and that has complicated negotiations.
Yet the club's recruitment team has not been idle. According to Matteo Moretto, they have identified Cestero, a Castilla prospect who has impressed in Real Madrid's reserve setup and attracted attention from across Europe. His profile — age, technical quality, developmental ceiling — is seen as a close match for what Bouaddi offered.
That Lille are actively scouting successors suggests they have accepted the direction of travel, even if president Olivier Létang's public statements suggest a tougher negotiating stance. It is a matter of when, not if.
For City, Bouaddi remains the most significant piece of business still on the table. The club have already broken their transfer record to land Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, with Geronimo Rulli expected to follow from Marseille. James Trafford is close to joining Leeds, and Tijjani Reijnders has emerged as a target for Forest in a deal worth around £60 million.
Rodri's future is also developing, with Real Madrid understood to have an agreement with the player and club-to-club talks ongoing. The Spain international is into the final year of his contract at the Etihad, and Barcelona are exploring a deal as well.
City were expected to have completed more business by now, but fringe-player departures are likely to accelerate in the coming weeks. That could free up the space — and the funds — to finally bring Bouaddi through the door.