Manchester City are pushing hard to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to David Ornstein.
The Lille midfielder has become one of the most sought-after teenagers in European football, with City, Arsenal and Manchester United all having been in contact with his camp over the past 12 months.
Lille’s valuation is the central obstacle. Ornstein reports that a figure of around €100m (£86m) would prove prohibitive to many of Bouaddi’s admirers.
The asking price depends on the structure of any deal. Lille want closer to €80m if a buyer agrees to loan the 18-year-old back for a further season, with the figure rising to €100m for an immediate transfer. Several clubs have softened their stance and are now open to that arrangement.
Manchester City push hard for £86m-rated Ayyoub Bouaddi
Bouaddi’s World Cup has driven his value sharply upwards. He has started four matches in Morocco’s run to the quarter-finals, impressing with his composure and positional intelligence against Brazil, the Netherlands and Canada.
His record at Lille is already exceptional. Bouaddi has made 96 appearances since making his debut at 16, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player.
Earlier this year he broke Eden Hazard’s record as the youngest to reach 50 Ligue 1 games for Les Dogues.
Lille are under no pressure to sell. Bouaddi signed an extension in December that runs until 2029, and chairman Olivier Letang has drawn direct comparisons with this summer’s biggest midfield deals.
“When I see Anderson move to Manchester City for £116m and Tonali to Tottenham for £100m, and they don’t have the potential for development that Ayyoub has because he possesses unique qualities,” Letang told The Standard. “I have a price in mind, and we’ll see what happens.”
Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have all monitored the situation, while Paris Saint-Germain are not expected to move. Lille, for their part, are understood to favour a deal structured around a 2027 arrival.
