Bouaddi Agrees with Manchester City, Now It's Lille's Turn

Manchester City have cleared an important hurdle in one of the summer's most eye-catching young transfers. According to Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Moroccan midfield talent Ayyoub Bouaddi has reached a full verbal agreement with City on contract terms that would run until 2031. However, Plettenberg stresses the process is not yet complete, with no club-to-club agreement yet in place with Lille.

According to the report, Lille are holding out for a "symbolic" €100 million fee for the 18-year-old, while City want to keep their fixed payment at €90 million, with that price gap said to be the only remaining sticking point. Arsenal and Real Madrid had also previously shown interest, but City moved ahead after Arsenal redirected their focus toward signing Bruno Guimaraes. Lille president Olivier Letang has stated the situation remains unchanged, confirming concrete offers have arrived from major clubs but none have yet been deemed satisfactory.

Bouaddi, who drew widespread attention with his performances for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup — including a display against Brazil that overshadowed stars like Raphinha and Casemiro — has made 96 appearances for Lille in his professional career, contributing four assists. Having extended his contract to 2029 back in December, the young star's transfer fee negotiations are expected to be resolved in the coming days, with the deal reportedly likely to be finalised following Rodri's expected departure to Real Madrid.

Source: Sky Sport DE
Image: Be Soccer