Manchester City have completed the signing of Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £85.6m.
The 18-year-old has agreed a five-year contract, pending international approval. City will pay an initial £81.4m, with a further £4.2m available through add-ons.
Enzo Maresca’s team pursued Bouaddi following the departures of central midfielders Rodri, who joined Barcelona for £65m, and Tijjani Reinders, who moved to Al-Qadsiah in a £52m transfer.
Bouaddi caught the eye at this summer’s World Cup, starting five of Morocco’s six games as they reached the quarter-finals, having already established himself as an important player for Lille in Ligue 1.
Bouaddi described the move as an unforgettable moment for both himself and his family, adding that joining Manchester City, a club he considers the finest in the world, fulfilled a lifelong ambition.
He said he had devoted much of his life to improving as a footballer and pursuing the highest level of the sport.
The midfielder also explained that he had followed City for years and admired their attractive approach, technical quality and consistent desire to win.
Bouaddi played 96 times for Lille after making his first-team debut in 2023 and helped the club secure third place in Ligue 1 last season.
He became Lille’s youngest-ever senior player at 16 when he appeared against Faroese side KI in the Europa League. Bouaddi later gained wider recognition with an outstanding display in Lille’s 2024 Champions League win against Real Madrid.
Bouaddi will join a reshaped City midfield that has already been strengthened by the £116m arrival of England international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Primarily a deep-lying playmaker, Bouaddi is expected to work well alongside Anderson, who can operate as both a box-to-box midfielder and in the defensive midfield position he occupies for England.
City are also preparing a bid for Chelsea’s Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, although an agreement may be difficult to reach because the 25-year-old is valued at £120m.
Bouaddi arrives shortly after Brazilian winger Savinho, who is now known as Savio, completed a £75m transfer to Tottenham earlier this week.
Tottenham have also reached an agreement to borrow City’s Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, while Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez is expected to leave Maresca’s squad and join Newcastle for £52m.
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