Manchester City have officially announced a deal with Lille OSC to secure midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (18) on a five-year contract and for a reported fee of €95m plus €5m in bonuses.
The midfielder shot to international recognition in October 2024 when, on his 17th birthday, he took advantage of Angel Gomes’s suspension to earn his first start in the UEFA Champions League in a historic 1-0 win over Real Madrid.
Even before then, it was common knowledge within the halls of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy that Lille had a serious talent in the making, but after that win over Real, where Bouaddi starred with a phenomenal performance, the secret was well and truly out.
Bouaddi has only continued his development since then. This year he decided to represent Morocco over France, and was instantly brought into The Atlas Lions’ World Cup squad, where he helped the nation reach the quarter-finals, where they were eventually eliminated by France.
Lille had held out hope that they could keep Bouaddi for one more season, but City were convinced that the midfielder could make an immediate impact, especially with it looking likely that Rodri (30) has played his final season for the club.
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