Manchester City agree €100m package for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi
What's the story
Manchester City have struck a deal with Lille for the transfer of Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. An agreement for the player to join Enzo Maresca's side is now in place. Bouaddi is set to complete his move to England with Lille accepting an initial fee of £81.4m, plus £4.2m in add-ons, as per BBC Sport. Bouaddi's move to City comes after the club sold Rodri to Barcelona for £65 million and Tijjani Reinders to Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia for £52 million.
Financial impact
Bouaddi's transfer pushes City's summer spending close to £200 million
Bouaddi's transfer will push Manchester City's summer spending close to £200 million. This comes after their earlier signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million.
The majority of the funds for Bouaddi's transfer will be generated from Rodri's sale to Barcelona, which occurred last week.
Player profile
Bouaddi started 5 of Morocco's 6 World Cup games
Bouaddi, who mainly plays as a No 6, started five of Morocco's six games at the recent FIFA World Cup.
He made his debut for Lille in a Conference League group game in October 2023.
At just 16 years and three days old, he became the youngest player to appear in that competition.
Early achievements
Record-breaking Ligue 1 appearances for Lille
Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille against KI just three days after turning 16 in 2023, becoming the youngest footballer to ever play for the club.
He has since made 88 appearances for Lille, helping them finish third in Ligue 1 last season.
Bouaddi also broke Eden Hazard's record by making 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille at just 18 years old.
Do you know?
A signing record
As per Sky Sports News, the 18-year-old is set to become the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history by surpassing the £58.9m Manchester United agreed to pay Lille for defender Leny Yoro in 2024.