Manchester City Pursues Moroccan Midfield Talent Ayyoub Bouaddi
TITLE: Manchester City Pursues Moroccan Midfield Talent Ayyoub Bouaddi
Manchester City is actively pursuing the acquisition of Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder from Lille, with a reported transfer fee of £85 million. Bouaddi’s impressive showing at the recent World Cup has attracted significant interest from top clubs across Europe, and City sees him as a key long-term investment for their squad.
Bouaddi’s World Cup performance was notable, as he featured in five of Morocco’s six matches, including their quarter-final defeat to France. His debut for Morocco in the tournament opener against Brazil, where he faced experienced midfielders like Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, and Lucas Paqueta, highlighted his potential. He was even earmarked as a potential breakout star before the competition began.
City’s director of football, Hugo Viana, is reportedly impressed by Bouaddi’s technical skills and positional awareness. New manager Enzo Maresca intends to integrate Bouaddi directly into the first-team squad for the upcoming season. This potential signing would bring City’s summer spending to £200 million, following the earlier £116 million acquisition of Elliott Anderson.
The chase for Bouaddi is competitive, with Manchester United and Arsenal also having closely monitored the young midfielder. Meanwhile, City is also managing interest from other clubs in their current midfielders such as Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Kovacic, and Nico Gonzalez, while firmly resisting Real Madrid’s inquiries about Rodri.
Sources