Man City prepare €90m bid for Lille and Morocco starlet Ayoub Bouaddi

Manchester City are ready to test Lille’s resolve with a €90m (£76m) offer for Morocco’s World Cup breakout midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi, after reportedly reaching agreement on personal terms with the 18-year-old.

The Premier League champions are leading the race for the teenager, who starred at the 2026 World Cup and helped Morocco reach the quarter-finals, starting five matches in the tournament.

French transfer specialist Nicolo Schira reports that City are now poised to submit a formal bid to Lille in an attempt to secure one of Europe’s most sought‐after young midfielders.

But Lille, buoyed by a long contract and a rapidly inflating market for central midfielders, are signalling they will only sell at a premium price – with their president openly suggesting Bouaddi could be worth in excess of £100m.

City push ahead after agreeing terms

According to Schira, City have already found an agreement with Bouaddi on his personal contract, leaving negotiations with Lille as the final hurdle.

Recent reporting from The Athletic also stated that Manchester City are “pushing hard” to sign Bouaddi this summer and are at the head of the queue for his signature, with Paris St-Germain said not to be in the running.

City’s plan, the report added, is to bring Bouaddi straight into Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad rather than loaning him back to Lille. By contrast, several other interested clubs are thought to prefer signing him and immediately sending him back to northern France on loan for a further season.

Lille hold firm as valuation soars

Lille president Olivier Letang has twice gone public in recent days to stress the club’s stance over their prize asset.

Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, Letang said: “يجب ان يبقى ايوب بوعدي معنا لموسم اخر.” (“Ayoub Bouaddi must stay with us for another season.”)

Those comments came despite mounting interest in the Moroccan international and follow a sharp shift in Lille’s internal valuation of the player.

Earlier reports suggested Lille might be prepared to sell for around £69m, but the explosion in midfield prices appears to have changed the club’s position.

Letang referenced two recent high-profile Premier League moves when speaking to the Evening Standard, after Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City for £116m and Sandro Tonali moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £100m.

“عندما ارى اليوت اندرسون ينتقل الى مانشستر سيتي مقابل 116 مليون جنيه استرليني، وساندرو تونالي الى توتنام مقابل 100 مليون، رغم انهما لا يملكان هامش التطور الذي يمتلكه ايوب بوعدي بسبب امكانياته الفريدة، فانا لدي رقم محدد في ذهني، وسنرى ما سيحدث”.

Letang has also hinted that Bouaddi’s true price could surpass the £100m mark, a figure that would put the teenager among the most expensive midfielders in football history.

Long contract strengthens Lille’s hand

Bouaddi signed a new deal with Lille in December 2025, tying him to the club until the summer of 2029. That long commitment gives the French side a strong bargaining position and removes any immediate pressure to cash in.

Lille view the midfielder as a cornerstone of their project and are prepared to keep him for at least one more season unless an extraordinary offer arrives.

Record-breaking rise of Ayoub Bouaddi

Bouaddi’s rapid ascent has been one of the stories of French football over the past three years.

In 2023 he became the youngest player ever to appear in a competitive match for Lille’s first team, debuting at just 16. He later broke another club landmark by surpassing Eden Hazard’s record as the youngest player to reach 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille.

Born in France, Bouaddi represented France at youth level before choosing to play senior international football for Morocco. His performances at the 2026 World Cup, where he played a key role in Morocco’s run to the last eight, have accelerated interest from Europe’s elite clubs.

By the end of the 2025-26 season, Bouaddi had made 96 appearances for Lille in all competitions, providing four assists. His combative style has also brought discipline issues, with nine yellow cards and two red cards recorded in that campaign alone.

What happens next?

With City preparing a €90m proposal and Bouaddi understood to be open to the move, attention now turns to whether Lille will soften their stance or hold out for a nine‐figure fee.

Given Bouaddi’s age, contract length and World Cup impact, negotiations are expected to be complex – and could shape the top end of the midfield market for seasons to come.