Man City Are “Ready To Submit An Official Bid” For Breakout World Cup Star As Try To Head Off PL Rivals
Man City are expected to step up their pursuit of Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi over the coming days, according to journalist Nicolo Schira.
Posting on his X account, the Gazzetta dello Sport reporter said that the Moroccan international has signalled his interest in joining Enzo Maresca’s side, with an “official bid” set to be submitted imminently:
Talks in progress for Ayyoub #Bouaddi to #ManchesterCity from #Lille. The morrocan midfielder has already given his availability to join #MCFC, which are ready to submit an official bid to #LOSC in the next days. #transfers https://t.co/HJ8MdIR9lW
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) July 15, 2026
Bouaddi is likely to cost around €100m (£85m) if City want to bring him to the Etihad Stadium this summer. Lille are said to be willing to let him leave for less than that if a team agrees to loan him back to the Ligue One side for another year.
Man City want to beat the competition
Bouaddi has bolstered his reputation with his performances for Morocco at the World Cup, and he is certainly not short of suitors.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are just some of the clubs who are interested in the player.
For that reason, City are keen to get this deal over the line as soon as possible to prevent a potential hijacking.
Why do Man City want to sign Bouaddi now?
New head coach Enzo Maresca is not exactly short of numbers in the middle of the park, especially after the club record addition of Elliot Anderson.
However, Director of Football Hugo Viana is having to anticipate potential departures. Rodri has less than a year left on his contract, and there is no sign that an extension is close to being signed.
Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic are also expected to be sold before the transfer window closes, while there are doubts over the future of Tijjani Reijnders as well.
