Ben Jacobs confirms Liverpool are tracking £85m Ayyoub Bouaddi as Lille look ready to sell, with the Reds primed to ‘reinforce’ a key area of the squad.
Lille have accepted the reality that they cannot hold onto Ayyoub Bouaddi forever. But as Europe’s biggest heavyweights line up at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy with checkbooks open, the French club are pulling out all the stops to engineer a deal that allows them one final dance with their crown jewel.
The 18-year-old Moroccan international has become the hottest property on the continental market. A towering, right-footed midfielder standing at 1.85m, Bouaddi has captured the attention of several Premier League clubs: Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid.
Lille’s stance is firm. They want a minimum of €80m for the teenager, but senior figures at the club are making it known that the price tag will balloon north of €100m for any suitor demanding an immediate sale this summer.
Instead, Lille’s ideal scenario is to strike a pre-agreement or a deal that includes a mandatory one-year loan-back, keeping the midfield sensation in Ligue 1 for just one more season according to transfer Journalist Ben Jacobs
Breaking Eden Hazard’s records
To understand why Lille are demanding astronomical, nine-figure sums for a teenager, you only have to look at his historic trajectory. Bouaddi is not a prospective talent waiting for a breakthrough; he is already a seasoned veteran of senior football.
He has already racked up a staggering 96 appearances for Lille across three full seasons after fast-tracking his way through the club’s famed youth academy. In January 2026, he officially etched his name into French football folklore by becoming the youngest player ever to make 50 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille shattering a long-standing club record previously held by a young Eden Hazard.
That consistency earned him a spot with the Morocco national team, where he logged significant minutes on the grandest stage of all at the 2026 World Cup. Under contract until 2029, Bouaddi is viewed within the industry as a true blue-chip asset, making a mega-money departure from Ligue 1 an inevitability over the next window or two.
The Premier League interest and the Anfield factor
While Real Madrid and Arsenal are monitoring his situation with a watchful eye following his standout Champions League and World Cup displays, Liverpool’s interest remains a highly intriguing subplot in this transfer saga.
The Anfield recruitment team are known admirers of Bouaddi’s profile, and the landscape of the Reds’ midfield could shift significantly in the coming weeks, opening up a natural vacancy for the Frenchman.
According to Ben Jacobs, the wheels are already turning behind the scenes on Merseyside:
“Liverpool could reinforce in central midfield, especially if Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister are sold. The former has drawn interest from Inter and Nottingham Forest, but clubs must meet a £40m asking price.”
Should Liverpool sanction a high-profile departure, Bouaddi represents the exact profile of elite, high-ceiling talent the club tends to target. Whether Liverpool, Arsenal, or Real Madrid are willing to cough up the €100m required to sign him instantly or if they will cave to Lille’s wishes of a loan-back deal remains the defining question of the summer.
One thing is certain: Ayyoub Bouaddi’s days in a Lille shirt are numbered.