Liverpool are believed to have met with the representatives of highly-rated Morocco star Ayyoub Bouaddi over an exciting summer move to Anfield.
The 18-year-old has emerged as one of the most impressive young players at the 2026 World Cup, looking so composed and mature at the heart of Morocco’s midfield.
Bouaddi has caught the eye of many top former players, with ex-Liverpool man Joe Cole calling him “brilliant” and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira saying of him:
“Really impressive, he’s only 18 but he plays like a 30-year-old. He’s got the tactical awareness, I think he’s always well positioned. He’s got the technical ability to play out from the back and a really strong personality. I quite like the midfield three from Morocco but, of course, he’s the talent in this team.”
Liverpool have been linked with a summer move for Bouaddi, and now a respected source on X [via Caught Offside] has provided a new update, saying: “Ayyoub Bouaddi’s reps met LFC yesterday afternoon, according to club sources.”
Ayyoub Bouaddi can be Liverpol’s next great midfielder
It is always important not to go overboard about young players, with their career trajectories so hard to predict, but Bouaddi looks like a magnificent talent with a huge career ahead of him.
As mentioned, he plays like a seasoned professional rather than a teenager, averaging 2.5 tackles per game and completing 91.5% of his passes at the World Cup, and he would add a valuable combination of technical ability and dynamism to the Reds’ midfield.
Bouaddi wouldn’t necessarily be a definite starter for Liverpool every week to begin with, depending on who stays put this summer, but it surely wouldn’t be long before that was the case.
The £60m-rated will be a wanted man in the summer window, so the Reds will have to work their magic to get him, but he hopefully likes the idea of thriving under new head coach Andoni Iraola.
If Liverpool don’t sign Bouaddi in the coming weeks, it is vital that another central midfielder comes in instead, with fresh legs badly needed in the middle of the park before the 2026/27 season gets underway.