Manchester City agree £86m deal for Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi

Manchester City have reached an agreement in principle to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi in a deal worth up to £85.6m. Lille will receive an initial £81.4m, with a further £4.2m available through add-ons.

Bouaddi, 18, is expected to complete the move to England after the two clubs settled the main terms. The Morocco international has been a priority for City as they reshape their central midfield under manager Enzo Maresca.

City have lost Rodri to Barcelona for £65m and Tijjani Reijnders to Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah for £52m. They have also signed England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and remain interested in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, although no agreement with Chelsea has been reached.

Bouaddi has made 88 appearances for Lille since his senior debut in October 2023, when he was three days past his 16th birthday. He became the youngest player to represent the club and later surpassed Eden Hazard’s record by reaching 50 Ligue 1 appearances at the age of 18.

The teenager’s profile rose further during Lille’s Champions League win over Real Madrid in 2024, a match played on his 17th birthday. He was also a regular for Morocco at this summer’s World Cup, starting five of the team’s six matches as they reached the quarter-finals.

Bouaddi helped Lille finish third in Ligue 1 last season and operates as a deep-lying midfielder. His arrival would add another option alongside Anderson, who can play as a box-to-box midfielder or in the deeper role for England.

City begin their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on Sunday after losing last weekend’s Community Shield to Arsenal. Bouaddi’s transfer is expected to be completed as City continue adding to their midfield options.