Lille open door to Manchester City transfer for Ayyoub Bouaddi

Lille open door to Manchester City transfer for Ayyoub Bouaddi Lille would prefer Ayyoub Bouaddi to move to the Premier League over another French club Man City are monitoring the 18-year-old amid ongoing uncertainty over their midfield options No guarantee Bouaddi moves to City this summer, with a further year at Lille also on the table Manchester City may be a preferred destination for Lille when it comes to the future of Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer, according to a new report. Ayyoub Bouaddi has emerged as one of the standout young players at the FIFA World Cup , having earned widespread plaudits for his performance in Morocco ‘s 1-1 draw with Brazil in their opening group stage fixture, with the 18-year-old’s technical quality and maturity in possession drawing admiring glances from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Manchester City are continuing to assess midfield options despite having already committed £116 million to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest , with director of football Hugo Viana identifying further reinforcement in the centre of the park as a priority before the window closes. Manchester City launch direct contacts with Lille over Ayyoub Bouaddi Bouaddi’s name has now been added to that list of targets, with Lille understood to hold a preference for the Moroccan international to remain within the Premier League should he depart the Stade Pierre-Mauroy this summer. Dawson & Laurens: Lille prefer Premier League move as PSG interest complicates picture According to sources speaking to ESPN , Lille would prefer Bouaddi to move to the Premier League rather than to another club within Ligue 1 , a stance that opens the door to City’s interest taking on a more concrete shape in the coming weeks. However, the pursuit is complicated by the personal dimension surrounding the teenager himself – Bouaddi is understood to be a long-standing Paris Saint-Germain fan and attended the French side’s 5-0 UEFA Champions League final thrashing of Inter Milan in 2025, a detail that lends credibility to PSG’s own reported interest in the teenager. Real Madrid have also been credited with interest in Bouaddi, while Arsenal are understood to have explored the possibility of a move, though their current recruitment focus is directed elsewhere, leaving City and PSG as the most prominently mentioned sides at this stage. City’s midfield monitoring extends beyond Bouaddi alone, with Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United also among the names studied closely, though Tottenham are currently understood to be leading the chase for the Italian international. What is the wider context for Man City’s interest in Bouaddi? City’s continued search for midfield reinforcements reflects the scale of the rebuild that incoming manager Enzo Maresca is inheriting at the Etihad Stadium this summer, with club captain Bernardo Silva joining Real Madrid on a free transfer on July 1 after nine years under Pep Guardiola in England’s north-west. Manchester City plot summer 2027 move for World Cup starlet There is also uncertainty lingering over the futures of Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders leaving the squad considerably lighter in central midfield than Viana would ideally want. Bouaddi, who turns 19 in October, represents a longer-term proposition than Anderson but one that fits closely with the profile of young, technically accomplished midfielder that City have consistently targeted in recent windows. There is, however, no guarantee that Bouaddi will make the move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, with one option being that he remains at Lille for a further season before City reignite their interest next summer – a timeline that would allow the teenager to continue his development at club level while Morocco push deeper into the World Cup in North America.