A third club joins the race to sign Liverpool and Arsenal target Ayyoub Bouaddi with a smart new offer
A third Premier League club has joined the race to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is already a target for Liverpool and Arsenal, according to reports.
Bouaddi, a central midfielder, is currently playing in the World Cup for Morocco. He has helped his team reach the last 16 of the tournament. Morocco, the current Africa Cup of Nations champions, beat the Netherlands on penalties on Monday night. Issa Diop scored a last-minute equalizer to make it 1-1 before the shootout.
Bouaddi is one of the most exciting young talents in football. Just weeks before the World Cup, he switched his international allegiance from France to Morocco.
The 18-year-old impressed in Morocco’s first group match against Brazil and played in their 1-0 win over Scotland before being rested for the 4-2 win against Haiti.
Top clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal are keen to sign him. He is currently signed with Lille in Ligue 1 until 2029, so Lille doesn’t have to rush to sell. But with Bouaddi’s strong performances, a move seems likely soon.
Now, Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester City are also interested in signing him. They want to include a deal that lets Bouaddi stay on loan at Lille for the 2026/27 season, giving him more time to develop before joining the Premier League. City often sign young players and loan them out, like they did with Brazil’s Vitor Reis and Norway’s Sverre Halseth Nypan last year. Nypan, for example, played 20 games in the Championship with Middlesbrough before City called him back in January.
After Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Brazil, Bouaddi surprised many by speaking openly about his future. He said he’s fully focused on the World Cup and not thinking about a move right now.
He told The Athletic’s David Ornstein, “For this moment, I’m only focused on the World Cup. I can’t answer this right now. I’m happy some clubs are interested, but for now, my focus is on Morocco and giving everything at the World Cup.”
Morocco will play Canada in the last 16, after Canada beat South Africa 1-0 in the round of 32. This is Canada’s best World Cup run ever, as they had never won or even scored a point in their previous two appearances in 1986 and 2022.