Chelsea and Arsenal have been pursuing 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The closer we get to the January window, the more activity we’re going to see, and Chelsea and Arsenal have been looking in the same places, it seems.
Chelsea want to sign Bouaddi and continue their streak of signing pure talent early.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool hold interest in the Ligue 1 star, but Arsenal are tipped to be ahead in the race. That’s according to a French outlet who also report a new development at Lille.
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Ayyoub Bouaddi signs new contract with Lille until 2029, but
If there were any concrete plans to bring Bouaddi to Stamford Bridge or the Emirates in January, they have been foiled.
Lille have locked him down, though it’s not being discussed like the long-term commitment it appears to be.
As RMC Report: “Lille (LOSC) wants to keep him this winter and has therefore officially extended his contract until 2029. However, the player’s future could lie elsewhere in the medium term.
“In fact, Olivier Létang, president of the northern club, is expecting offers of more than €50 million next summer before considering selling his talented midfielder.”
Rather than wanting to keep the player for the next four years, it looks like Lille want to keep him for the season, and extract a much larger fee in the summer — somewhere around the £44 million mark.
The position that Chelsea MUST strengthen in 2026 is _ _ _ _ _ _
Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali and directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart at Wolves game
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Bouaddi is worth the money
There’s a reason all three of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal want the French/Moroccan star.
Bouaddi is highly rated by the French national team, has played for the Under-21s, and plays virtually every minute for Lille in Ligue 1 and the Europa League. He only turned 18 in October and already looks at home in the heart of the action.
With fast feet and long legs, he completes more take-ons than 92% of midfielders in Europe’s top-five leagues.
He offers a different profile of midfielder than those currently at Chelsea, and though he might struggle for minutes initially, there is some room in that department with Lavia injured. That is, unless James moves to midfield permanently.
The Blues shouldn’t be deterred by the price tag. That’s the standard price of doing business these days.
Plus, it’s always nice to beat Arsenal to the punch.
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