Man City have now joined Liverpool among the clubs interested in Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the 18-year-old a target in their heavy-spending rebuild.
With Elliot Anderson already lined up to join in a deal worth at least £116 million and Newcastle‘s Sandro Tonali another being pursued, there is clear focus on rebuilding Man City‘s midfield.
That comes at a time when Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United are also looking to strengthen in the engine room, and all four clubs have Bouaddi in their sights.
BBC Sport‘s Shamoon Hafez is among those to report on **Man City**‘s interest in the Moroccan, with Fabrizio Romano adding on X that initial talks have already taken place.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are also named as suitors, though PSG are thought to be prioritising other areas.
Lille are seeking a fee in the region of £69 million to £86 million, while they are eager to retain Bouaddi on loan for the 2026/27 campaign if a sale is agreed.
While Hafez claims that it is “unlikely” Man City would accept such an arrangement, Romano suggests it is a possibility.
That could give the Manchester club an advantage, particularly over Liverpool, who would almost certainly look to add Bouaddi to Andoni Iraola‘s squad with immediate effect.
It is likely that, if he were to be signed, Bouaddi would be the only new midfielder to arrive at Anfield this summer, whereas Anderson is already set to join Enzo Maresca’s squad and Tonali could still follow.
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England's Adam Wharton during an international friendly at St. James' Park, Newcastle. Picture date: Monday June 3, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA)
Liverpool are also credited with an interest in the likes of Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Lens’ Mamadou Sangare, but links with Crystal Palace‘s Adam Wharton have been played down.
There is little indication that the Reds are in the strongest position when it comes to Bouaddi but they seemingly remain in contention at this stage.
But an increase in the level of interest in a player currently impressing as part of the Morocco side at this summer’s World Cup would no doubt make it more difficult to pull a deal off.
Contact has already been made with Lille – with Liverpool also considering their versatile forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo – and Bouaddi told reporters earlier this month that he was “really happy” with the interest.