Fnatic is negotiating to acquire French top laner Adam ‘’Adam’’ Maanane from Karmine Corp, sources close to the situation have told Inven Global, with the deal close to being signed.

Adam comes fresh off a championship European Masters Spring run with Karmine Corp after what’s been a meteoric rise in his career. Starting his career towards the end of 2019, Adam signed with Kameto Crop (later KCorp) in March 2020 to debut in LFL Division 2. In the span of one year, the player went from a no-name to EU Masters champion, to what will likely become his LEC debut in the Summer split, should the Fnatic deal be finalized. 

It is still uncertain whether Adam will fully replace Fnatic’s current top laner Gabriel “Bwipo” Rau on the position, or whether the two will split the role in the Summer Split. The top lane was one of the major weaknesses for the marquee LEC club as Fnatic recorded their worst split since 2018 — a fifth-place finish after a 0:3 loss to Schalke 04 in the Spring Playoffs — raising a lot of concerns about the team’s chances to make Worlds. 

According to a recent report, Bwipo and jungler Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek also chose to not extend their contracts with the club, which expire at the end of the year.

"I don't want to be on a team like Fnatic if I don't perform well. [...] I have other options maybe lined up for me, so maybe a different top laner can do a better job in bringing results to Fnatic. I really don't mind stepping aside for that," Bwipo said on stream on Apr. 28.