Liverpool have burst into the race to sign Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi, although they are not the favourites to sign the 18-year-old Moroccan.
The Reds need midfield reinforcements this summer after a season that saw them regularly dominated and outrun in the engine room, with Liverpool only covering more distance than their opponent in one game in 2025-26.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s 13 goals and 12 assists made him the only Liverpool midfielder to cover himself in glory in Arne Slot’s final campaign in charge, while Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister were well below the standards displayed in the 2025 Premier League title-winning season.
Florian Wirtz, Mac Allister and Gravenberch have all been much better in the opening round of the World Cup group stage than they were at Anfield all season, suggesting their decline had something to do with Slot’s inability to extrac the best from his squad.
Now replaced by Andoni Iraola, the next phase of this squad’s evolution is set to begin, and reports indicate that Liverpool are among the clubs desperate to sign Moroccan prodigy Bouaddi.
Reminder: Ayyoud Bouaddi is 18 years old. ??? pic.twitter.com/NmTSQ6gUZt
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) June 13, 2026
Liverpool crash into transfer battle with Manchester City as Europe clamours for a chance to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi
According to a report from TEAMtalk, there is an almighty battle ongoing to see how will be the lucky club that signs Bouaddi.
The report states: “Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, but TEAMtalk understands both clubs face a major hurdle with Lille demanding a record-breaking fee in excess of £60million for the teenage midfielder.
“Manchester United and Chelsea are also monitoring developments, while Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all shown interest in one of the most highly-rated young players in world football.
“Despite those demands, sources indicate Arsenal and PSG remain the two clubs best positioned to secure Bouaddi’s signature this summer, although Liverpool and Manchester City have recently joined the chase.”
Bouaddi is a special, special talent
Bouaddi announced himself to those unfamiliar with the French Ligue 1, where the teenager has been starring with Lille over the last year, when he helped Morocco to a 1-1 draw with Brazil in their opening group stage game of the World Cup.
Sofascore stats show that he was one of the best players on the pitch in spite of his youth.
In 90 minutes, he recorded the following stats:
91% pass accuracy
87 touches
3/5 dribbles completed (60%)
4 tackles
6 ball recoveries
9/14 ground duels won
?? Ayyoub Bouaddi vs Brazil
MASTERCLASS.pic.twitter.com/VRXwYhYZ3z
— zeroone (@zeeeroooneee) June 14, 2026
Whoever signs Bouaddi will potentially have the next best defensive midfielder in the world. Of course, he’s still very young and raw, but showcasing his dominance on the ball and in the tackle against a country blessed with so many pacy, tricky and unpredictable players like Brazil says a lot about how special he is.