Man City Seal £85.6m Deal for Midfielder Bouaddi

Manchester City have agreed a deal worth €100m (£85.6m) to sign 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The agreement, which is still subject to the final steps of the transfer, will see City pay an initial £81.4m for the Morocco international, with a further £4.2m available in add-ons. BBC Sport had earlier reported that City and Lille were in advanced talks over the transfer.

Bouaddi is now expected to complete his move to England and join Enzo Maresca’s side. The midfielder has attracted attention after his impressive performances for both Lille and Morocco.

Manchester City have made strengthening their midfield a priority after the departure of key players. Rodri was sold to Barcelona for £65m, while Tijjani Reinders joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah in a £52m deal.

City are also interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, although it is not yet clear whether they will be able to reach an agreement for the Argentine. They have already strengthened their midfield by signing England international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m.

City will begin their Premier League campaign at home against Bournemouth on Sunday at 14:00 BST. The club will be hoping to respond after losing last weekend’s Community Shield to Arsenal.

Who is Bouaddi?

Bouaddi is regarded as one of the promising young midfielders in European football. He impressed at this summer’s World Cup, starting five of Morocco’s six matches as they reached the quarter-finals.

His reputation grew further after he played a key role in Lille’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024.

He is a deep-lying midfielder who helps control play from the middle of the pitch. His style is expected to complement Anderson, who can play as a box-to-box midfielder and also in the number six position for England.

Bouaddi has made 88 appearances for Lille since making his senior debut in October 2023, just three days after his 16th birthday. He helped Lille finish third in Ligue 1 last season.

He became the youngest player to represent Lille’s senior team when he made his debut against KI in 2023. On his 17th birthday, he was praised by supporters at Stade Pierre-Mauroy after helping Lille defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Bouaddi later broke a record previously held by Eden Hazard by making 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille at just 18 years old.