Anderson signs for €135m
Elliot Anderson is a City player. Manchester City signed the teenage midfielder from Nottingham Forest for €135 million, a record fee (4). Forest boss Vitor Pereira is already looking at Super Lig options to replace him (4). The deal lands a player City have been tracking closely, beating Liverpool, Arsenal, and PSG to the signature (1).
Bouaddi race is City vs Madrid
City are also chasing Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi, the World Cup breakout midfielder. Lille want €70 million (2). Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and PSG are all in the mix, but City and Madrid are the two clubs pushing hardest right now (2). Bouaddi's Morocco teammate Mohamed Ouahbi was not surprised by the attention: "He didn't impress me against Brazil. We already knew what kind of player he is" (2).
One midfielder said no
Not every target says yes. A Premier League midfielder described as a "superstar" has rejected a lucrative City offer and is finalising a record-breaking move to Tottenham instead (3).
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Madrid watching Haaland
Real Madrid have Erling Haaland on their shortlist if Vinicius Jr does not renew his contract (5). Nothing concrete yet, but the noise is there. City fans will not want to hear it.
Fan reactions
One bright note from the Reddit crowd: a clip of Kevin De Bruyne smiling after scoring has fans feeling nostalgic. "Oh that smile after scoring! King Kev," one supporter posted. The love for De Bruyne runs deep, even in a summer of upheaval.
