Ayyoub Bouaddi set to become most expensive Moroccan player with €100m Man City move

Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi is on the verge of making history, with Manchester City reportedly agreeing a deal worth up to €100m with Lille for the 18-year-old midfielder.

According to Fabrizio Romano, City and Lille have reached a full agreement for Bouaddi, with the package including add-ons. The Moroccan is expected to undergo his medical early next week before completing the move.

If the transfer reaches the reported value, Bouaddi will become the most expensive Moroccan footballer in history, comfortably surpassing the previous record held by Achraf Hakimi.

Hakimi’s record set to fall

Hakimi has held the Moroccan transfer record since his move from Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

The Morocco right-back joined PSG for a fee widely reported at about €60m, with bonuses potentially taking the overall package to around €68m.

His transfer represented a major milestone for Moroccan football after he had established himself among Europe’s leading young full-backs during spells at Borussia Dortmund and Inter.

Bouaddi’s potential €100m move would take the record to another level, exceeding Hakimi’s commonly reported PSG fee by more than €30m.

Bouaddi leads new generation

The teenager’s expected transfer is also significant because of his age and rapid development.

Bouaddi came through Lille’s academy and made his senior debut at just 16. His performances quickly attracted attention from leading clubs across Europe, with Manchester City eventually pushing ahead in the race for his signature.

A completed €100m deal would make Bouaddi one of the most expensive teenagers in football history and one of Lille’s biggest-ever sales.

For Moroccan football, it would provide another indication of the growing value of the country’s young talent in Europe’s major leagues.

Morocco’s transfer hierarchy changing

Before Bouaddi’s emergence, Hakimi was comfortably at the top of Morocco’s transfer rankings.

His move from Real Madrid to Inter Milan in 2020 was reportedly worth €43m, before PSG paid significantly more for the defender a year later.

Bayern Munich midfielder Ismael Saibari has also recently entered the group of Morocco’s most valuable transfers following his reported €50m move from PSV.

Other prominent Moroccan transfers include deals involving Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri and Sofyan Amrabat.

Bouaddi’s reported fee would represent a significant leap beyond those figures.

Manchester City move awaits medical

Manchester City have been pursuing Bouaddi throughout the summer and are now understood to have agreed terms with Lille.

The Moroccan midfielder is expected to complete his medical early next week before finalising the transfer.

The move would add another highly rated young player to City’s squad as the Premier League club continues to invest in the next generation of talent.

For Bouaddi, it would represent the biggest step of his young career.

If the deal is completed at the reported value, he will not only break Hakimi’s Moroccan transfer record but also become the latest symbol of the rising profile and market value of Moroccan footballers in Europe.