When Brazil kicked off their World Cup campaign, the last person you would have expected to control the game was an 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder. Yet, that is exactly what happened. And it is someone whom Chelsea were prepared to sign for a €45 million transfer fee.
The move did not happen. And if things continue in this manner at the World Cup, his transfer fee could end up ballooning to twice that.
Yes, the player I am talking about is none other than Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Moroccan international caught a lot of eyes with his performance against Brazil. And there is already talk about top clubs signing him this summer.
According to talkSPORT, Arsenal are in talks to sign Bouaddi. Liverpool have also held talks. Chelsea and PSG have been tracking the Lille midfielder.
Bouaddi bossed the midfield against Brazil
Based on the performance against Brazil, it is hard to believe that Bouaddi is still just 18 years of age. He was phenomenal in the middle of the park.
Bouaddi won the ball back constantly, carried it up the pitch, distributed it expertly and did not seem fazed at all when put under pressure by the Brazilian players. He seemed like the type of player that Chelsea had hoped Romeo Lavia would be.
Lavia has never been fully fit since joining Chelsea three years ago. And it might be time for the club to move on from him.
Bouaddi would be an incredible replacement. But any move is expected to cost at least £60 million. And that could go up further based on how far Morocco make it in this World Cup.
Chelsea signing Bouaddi seems unlikely
There are a few reasons why Chelsea signing Bouaddi seems unlikely. Firstly, you simply have to take the competition into consideration.
How many players would want to join Chelsea over Arsenal, Liverpool or PSG right now? It simply does not feel like the safest path considering how inconsistent the Blues have been since the BlueCo takeover.
Secondly, there has been all this talk about Chelsea needing to add experience and proven talent this summer.
Would they then go out and spend north of £60 million to bring in an 18-year-old midfielder? In an ideal world, someone like Bouaddi would have been on the radar of Chelsea. Unfortunately, BlueCo have painted themselves into a corner with their transfer business over the past four seasons.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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