Manchester City agree deal worth up to €100m for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi
Manchester City has agreed to a €100 million deal to sign 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. The transfer follows the sale of Rodri to Barcelona and continues the club's significant summer spending spree.
Why it matters
This transfer highlights the massive financial scale of modern Premier League recruitment and the strategic movement of young talent in European football.
Manchester City have agreed a deal with Lille worth €95 million for Ayyoub Bouaddi, with an added €5 million in potential add-ons. The Morocco midfielder’s arrival is set to take the club’s summer spend to nearly £200 million (€234 million) after Elliot Anderson’s £116 million (€135 million) signing earlier in the window.
The 18-year-old was stood down from Lille’s Ligue 1 match against Angers on Sunday before a medical with City with his transfer due to become official in the coming few days.
Bouaddi, who operates mainly as a No 6, started five of Morocco’s six games at the World Cup this summer, including the 2-0 quarter-final defeat to France. The game was his eighth international appearance.
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