Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City is basically a yes at this point. The two clubs have been negotiating for weeks, and now reports from multiple outlets say the 18-year-old has already agreed to a contract with City that runs through 2031. The last thing separating him from Pep’s old midfield is about ten million euros.
According to Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport, discussions have gotten “particularly intense” between the executives at both clubs. Fabrizio Romano is saying City expects to finish the deal within days. And Sacha Tavolieri has the most specific details: Bouaddi’s personal terms are locked, but Lille wants €100 million while City is holding at around €90 million with bonuses possible on top.
That gap is real. But it’s also the kind of thing that gets closed with add-ons and a handshake. Both sides know they’re close.
Ferran Soriano already met Lille’s president
This isn’t some summer fling. City CEO Ferran Soriano sat down with Lille president Olivier Létang back in June. That’s the kind of meeting that signals a club’s serious intent at the highest level. It’s the same playbook City used when they broke the British transfer record for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest last year. When Soriano gets personally involved, the club usually gets its guy.
Bouaddi is Europe’s most hunted teenager this summer
The kid made himself impossible to ignore. He broke through at Lille in Ligue 1, then showed up at the 2026 World Cup in North America and played well for Morocco. Not just held his own. Looked like he belonged. That combination — teenage midfielder, European football experience, plus a senior World Cup run — is rare. That’s why City is pushing this hard.
Bouaddi would be the second big midfield addition of the summer for new manager Enzo Maresca, joining Anderson. Maresca had the midfield rebuild listed as his top priority the day he took over. The post-Guardiola era in Manchester is starting to take shape, and it looks expensive on purpose.
What still needs to happen
The structure of the deal is the only thing left. Not whether it gets done. How. Lille wants its nine-figure headline number. City wants to stay closer to €90 million up front and load the rest into performance triggers. That negotiation is happening right now. In the next few days, it’ll either be a done deal or one of those rare occasions where a near-certainty somehow falls apart. But everyone involved is acting like the first outcome is more likely.
Maresca’s squad is already in Hong Kong for preseason matches. They’ll head to Seoul next, then back to England for the Community Shield against Arsenal in mid-August. Whether Bouaddi joins them for any of that is a question of days, not weeks.
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