Manchester City Set To Sign 18-Year-Old Wonderkid For 100 Million Euros

Last Updated:August 23, 2026, 6:25 PM IST

Manchester City agreed to a €100M deal with LOSC Lille for 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who will sign a four-year contract.

Ayyoub Bouaddi t the World Cup (AFP)

Manchester City have reportedly agreed a blockbuster €100 million (approx Rs. 1,117 crore) deal with French club LOSC Lille to sign 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. As per the English media, Bouaddi will sign a four-year contract at the Etihad, with an option to extend it for another year.

Bouaddi, who was born in France but plays for the Morocco national team, is considered one of the biggest midfield prospects in the world. Subject to medical clearance and contractual procedures, the deal will break Lille’s transfer record, held by Nicolas Pépé’s sale to Arsenal for €80 million in 2019.

Bouaddi was mightily impressive for Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, holding his own against five-time champions Brazil’s experienced midfield. He’s a genuine ball-winner and is considered quite mature for his age. Clubs have been hovering around him for years, with Paris Saint-Germain and City’s English rivals Arsenal also previously interested, but Bouaddi had agreed terms with the Manchester club weeks ago.

He would be a much-needed addition to the City midfield. One only needs to take a look at City’s starting 11 for their Premier League 26-27 opener against Bournemouth to see how desperately he was needed.

Starting 11: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Abdukodir Khusanov, Rúben Dias (C), Marc Guéhi, Joško Gvardiol; Rico Lewis, Elliot Anderson, Nico O’Reilly; Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland.

Subs: Gerónimo Rulli, Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovačić, Rayan Cherki, Nico González, Jack Grealish, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Vitor Reis, Matheus Nunes.

This 11 includes as many as six players who have mostly played as defenders. Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly have played as full-backs and will have to deputise in the midfield.

City have lost their talisman Rodri to Barcelona this season, while González has been linked to a move away to Newcastle United. City are also said to be pursuing a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández.

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Will Bouaddi immediately impact Manchester City’s starting lineup?

Ayyoub Bouaddi is considered a much-needed addition to Manchester City’s midfield. The club’s starting eleven for their Premier League opener against Bournemouth highlights this need.

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