Man City agree £86 million deal for Moroccan Star Bouaddi

By Amaechi Agbo

Manchester City have agreed a club-to-club deal in principle worth up to €100 million (£86 million) to sign 18-year-old Lille and Morocco midfielder, Ayyoub Bouaddi. The agreement consists of a fixed fee of €95 million (£81.3 million) plus an additional €5 million (£4.3 million) in performance-based add-ons.

The Moroccan international is set to sign a long-term contract through to 2031, with an optional 12-month extension.

The multi-million euro package makes Bouaddi the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history, breaking the previous £58.9 million record set when Manchester United bought Leny Yoro from Lille in 2024.

The aggressive push for Bouaddi comes as City boss Enzo Maresca conducts an immediate overhaul of his midfield department following high-profile exits. City recently parted ways with midfield lynchpins, including: Rodri – sold to Barcelona last week in a deal worth €76 million; Bernardo Silva – departed for Real Madrid at the end of last season as well as Tijjani Reijnders who joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah earlier this window.

Bouaddi was pulled directly out of Lille’s Ligue 1 matchday squad against Angers on Sunday afternoon to fly to England, where he is scheduled to undergo his medical over the next 48 hours.

Bouaddi operates primarily as a deep-lying midfield conductor (No. 6), known for playing with a level of composure and physical maturity that belies his young age. He initially rose to global prominence after a stellar breakout performance during the summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, starting five of Morocco’s six games during their historic run to the quarter-finals.

His trajectory has been historically rapid: made his professional Lille debut in the UEFA Conference League at 16 years and three days old, becoming the youngest player in the history of the tournament. Anchored Lille’s midfield during a historic UEFA Champions League victory against Real Madrid. Broke Eden Hazard’s long-standing milestone to become the youngest player to reach 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille.

While Bouaddi represents a major piece of City’s future structure, he will face strong immediate competition from fellow summer signing Elliot Anderson, who arrived earlier in the window for £116 million.

Despite securing the Moroccan prodigy, reports indicate Manchester City are not done strengthening their engine room before the September 1 deadline. Senior figures retain a firm interest in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, though an official bid has yet to meet the west London club’s steep £120 million valuation.