**Emmanuel Petit has urged Arsenal to look seriously at Ayyoub Bouaddi after the Lille midfielder’s breakout World Cup displays for Morocco pushed his name higher up the summer transfer agenda.**
The 18-year-old has already been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, but the latest assessment from Petit gives the story a sharper Arsenal edge. Speaking via [talkSPORT’s Bouaddi transfer update](https://talksport.com/football/world-cup/4355259/arsenal-transfer-news-wonderkid-declan-rice-bouaddi/), the former Gunners midfielder backed the teenager as a potential partner for Declan Rice.
Bouaddi’s stock has climbed during Morocco’s World Cup campaign, especially after his composed performance in the 1-1 draw with Brazil. Andy Brassell also praised the Lille player’s maturity and readiness for elite football, while talkSPORT framed him as a £60m-rated target.
Why Arsenal Interest Makes Sense
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Arsenal’s midfield planning already looks crowded, with Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly central to Mikel Arteta’s next phase. That is exactly why Bouaddi is interesting: he is not just a depth signing, but a long-term succession play with enough senior football behind him to contribute sooner than most teenagers.
The danger is price and timing. Lille have little reason to rush, and a World Cup rise usually makes any negotiation harder. But Petit’s intervention underlines why Arsenal cannot let the profile drift too far from view.