Arsenal look set to miss out to Manchester City on Lille starlet Ayyoub Bouaddi with an £85 million bid expected for the teenager
Joe Krishnan
14:46, 14 Jul 2026Updated 14:47, 14 Jul 2026
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, gestures a thumbs up during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park
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Arsenal look set to miss out to Man City for Ayyoub Bouaddi(Image: David Price, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has been forced to watch on helplessly as his former club Manchester City reportedly move for one of his prime summer targets, but the Spaniard has good reason not to panic.
Reports on Tuesday claimed City are progressing with their efforts to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. The 18-year-old has been one of the standout names from the World Cup 2026 in North America after helping Morocco reach the quarter-finals before their exit at the hands of France.
Football.london understands that while Arsenal held a passing interest, the Gunners never made a play to sign the youngster. Sporting director Andrea Berta has exercised caution when operating in the transfer market and with Bouaddi, he had two understandable reasons for stepping away from any prospective deal.
The Athletic report that City are 'pushing hard' to sign the talented midfielder and haven't been put off by his £85 million price tag. It comes after Arsenal were widely expected to launch a bid for Bouaddi, but that failed to materialise.
Arsenal are not in the race to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille
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Arsenal are not in the race to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille(Image: ANP, ANP via Getty Images)
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With PSG not interested in joining the race and an asking price only a few clubs can afford to pay, City appear to be in pole position to land the Moroccan holding midfielder. But Arsenal won't be too disappointed in missing out on signing the starlet given the steep conditions placed upon acquiring his signature.
Lille's insistence on Bouaddi being loaned back to them for the 2026/27 season played a part in Arsenal cooling their interest. Given the significant outlay, the Premier League champions would find it difficult to justify spending such a sum on a player who wouldn't even join up with the squad until the summer of 2027.
There are high hopes for Bouaddi to establish himself as one of Europe's finest midfielders in the years to come after showing maturity beyond his 18 years in Morocco and Lille's midfield. He flaunted his potential in a 1-0 win over Real Madrid back in 2024, dominating the centre of the park despite only just turning 16.
But there are evident concerns over splashing out such a large fee. Bouaddi has made over 100 appearances at club level and is yet to score a senior goal, which offers a question of just how valuable his work in the middle-third would be for Arsenal.
What's more, Arteta is prioritising a move for Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes instead. The Brazil international, 28, is wanted by Arteta to work alongside Declan Rice in the engine room, as well as giving the England enforcer a well-deserved rest when required.
Newcastle United are prepared for Arsenal to launch a transfer approach for Bruno Guimaraes
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Arsenal are focusing their efforts on signing Bruno Guimaraes(Image: (Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
Guimaraes has made it clear he wants to leave St. James' Park for the Emirates as he sees it as an opportunity to regularly play at the highest level and win trophies. Newcastle have stood firm on their £90m valuation on Guimaraes, who is under contract until 2028.
Arsenal were led to believe in talks with his representatives that Guimaraes would be allowed to leave for a fee nearer to £50m and there hasn't been much movement since. In any case, the Bouaddi and Guimaraes deals indicate Arsenal are unwilling to be held to ransom when signing a midfielder this summer.
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