Manchester City supporters have been left stunned by the sheer audacity of Chelsea’s reported approach during the summer transfer window.
According to The Athletic, sources familiar with Manchester City’s side of the negotiations claimed Chelsea asked City to back away from Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The reason?
Chelsea reportedly wanted the highly-rated midfielder as a potential replacement for Enzo Fernandez at Stamford Bridge.
But that was apparently not the only part of the reported discussions.
Chelsea were also said to have explored a swap involving Manchester City academy star Nico O’Reilly and Malo Gusto, while Bouaddi’s asking price was around £80 million.
Chelsea have denied asking City to step aside for Bouaddi. The club have also said Gusto was never available for a transfer.
Still, once the report reached Manchester City supporters, the reaction was immediate.
And the overriding feeling was not fear.
It was disbelief.
City fans simply could not believe the audacity of the reported demands.
‘The audacity is abnormal’
That was the feeling running through the supporters’ reaction.
Rather than seeing Chelsea’s reported approach as a normal transfer negotiation, City fans appeared to view it as incredibly cheeky.
One supporter described the situation in terms that captured the mood perfectly:
“The audacity is abnormal.”
That reaction is important because it explains why the story generated so much laughter.
City supporters were not simply discussing whether Bouaddi would be worth £80 million.
They were asking themselves why Chelsea would expect Manchester City to step aside from a player they wanted and potentially give up one of their own academy talents at the same time.
The perceived boldness of the reported approach was what really caught fans’ attention.
‘They want Kentucky too?’
One of the funniest responses came from H, who sarcastically reacted to the reported proposal.
The supporter essentially asked whether City should give Chelsea Bouaddi and O’Reilly in exchange for Enzo Fernandez and Gusto.
Then came the punchline:
“ما يبون كنتاكي بعد”
The comment roughly translates to:
“Don’t they want Kentucky too?”
It perfectly captured the mood among City supporters.
The joke was essentially that Chelsea were asking for so much that supporters wondered what else they wanted.
The reaction received significant engagement, showing that many fans found the reported situation just as ridiculous.
‘Cheeky bastards’
Another supporter, Takeshi, reacted with laughing emojis before describing the situation as:
“chessy cheeky bastards”
That response reflected the same sentiment.
There was a feeling that Chelsea had been extremely bold in their reported approach.
TylerTyler simply wrote:
“Wow … cheek”
That might have been one of the simplest reactions, but it summed up the situation.
City fans were amazed by the cheek of the reported proposal.
Nico O’Reilly made the situation even more outrageous
The inclusion of Nico O’Reilly was perhaps the part that really caught supporters off guard.
FREEMAN asked:
“Nico O’Reilly for ??”
The question says a lot.
For Manchester City supporters, O’Reilly is not simply another squad player.
He is an academy graduate who has developed through the club’s system and earned his opportunity at senior level.
That makes the idea of using him in a swap deal particularly difficult for some supporters to accept.
Jrdn_ also reacted to the situation in another discussion, while the wider comments showed clear reluctance to see O’Reilly involved in any deal.
For City fans, the reported proposal was not simply Chelsea asking about a player.
It was Chelsea allegedly asking City to compromise on one of their own highly-rated young talents.
‘Nico O’Reilly for ??’
That short question became one of the clearest reactions to the entire story.
Supporters seemed to be asking what Manchester City would actually gain from such an arrangement.
The answer, from the perspective of many fans, was not obvious.
O’Reilly has already demonstrated his value to City.
He represents the club’s academy.
He represents the pathway from youth football to the first team.
And under new manager Enzo Maresca, supporters will be interested to see how much responsibility he receives.
That makes the idea of including him in a deal particularly controversial among the fanbase.
Fans laugh rather than panic
Interestingly, the reaction was not dominated by anger.
It was dominated by laughter.
Jaadoo responded with a wall of laughing emojis.
Chad Sox simply wrote:
“LOL”
Bertie Cash went with:
“All the lols”
YAO responded with laughing and crying emojis.
Reyna also reacted with a long sequence of laughing emojis.
This was not the reaction of a fanbase worried about losing Bouaddi or O’Reilly.
Instead, it was the reaction of supporters who appeared to think the reported situation was almost unbelievable.
The jokes became a way of expressing disbelief.
‘Did he know No.20 is free?’
Dax added another layer to the conversation by asking:
“Did he know the #20 is free”
The comment was clearly aimed at the broader situation surrounding the players and possible moves.
Again, humour dominated.
City supporters were seemingly enjoying the story because they believed Chelsea’s reported demands were excessive.
The more details emerged, the more ridiculous the situation appeared to them.
Chelsea’s denial is important
There is, however, an important caveat.
Chelsea have denied asking Manchester City to step aside so they could pursue Bouaddi.
They have also said Gusto was never available for a transfer.
Therefore, supporters should not treat the reported proposal as an undisputed account of Chelsea’s actions.
The Athletic’s report is based on sources familiar with City’s side of the negotiations, while Chelsea have offered a different version.
That disagreement is important.
However, it does not change the fact that City fans have already had plenty to say about the story.
‘No pressure’ for City’s negotiators
One supporter, Doku_Baller, summed up the situation with:
“No pressure”
The comment can be read as another joke about the negotiations.
But there is also a serious point behind the humour.
Manchester City are in a position where they do not need to make unnecessary concessions.
If the club wants Bouaddi, it can decide whether to meet the asking price.
If City want to retain O’Reilly, they can simply refuse to include him in a deal.
That is why the reported approach seemed so bold to supporters.
From their perspective, Chelsea were asking Manchester City to make significant concessions.
‘Make us proud Allan’ — but O’Reilly stays
The reaction also reflects something broader about City’s supporters.
They want to see the club protect its young players.
O’Reilly is one of those players.
His development is a source of pride for supporters, and many would rather see him given opportunities under Maresca than used as a bargaining chip.
That does not mean fans believe every academy player must be untouchable.
But O’Reilly’s emergence has made him particularly valuable to the fanbase.
The real message from City fans
Ultimately, the reaction to the Chelsea story can be summed up in one word:
Audacity.
The reported request for City to step aside from Bouaddi already raised eyebrows.
The reported discussion around O’Reilly and Gusto pushed the reaction even further.
And the £80 million asking price for Bouaddi only added to the drama.
City fans responded with laughter, sarcasm and disbelief.
“The audacity is abnormal.”
“Cheeky bastards.”
“Wow … cheek.”
“Nico O’Reilly for ??”
“All the lols.”
Those comments tell the story.
Supporters were not impressed by the idea of Chelsea making demands of Manchester City.
They were amused by it.
And if the reaction from the City fanbase is anything to go by, there is little appetite at the Etihad for sacrificing Nico O’Reilly simply to make another club’s transfer plans easier.
For now, Chelsea have denied the key claims.
But the story has already given Manchester City supporters something to laugh about.
And perhaps the most fitting verdict came from the fans themselves:
The audacity really is abnormal.
