Manchester City Sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £86m
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Man City complete £86m Bouaddi signing from Lille
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Ayyoub Bouaddi has won eight caps for Morocco
By Paul Battison
BBC Sport Journalist
Published 13 minutes ago
Manchester City have signed Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a £85.6m deal.
The 18-year-old joins on a five-year contract, subject to international clearance, with City paying £81.4m upfront plus £4.2m in add-ons.
After selling central midfielders Rodri to Barcelona for £65m and Tijjani Reinders to Al-Qadsiah for £52m, Lille moved to sign Bouaddi.
He impressed at this summer's World Cup, starting five of Morocco's six matches in their run to the quarter-finals.
"This is a very special day for me and my family. Manchester City are, for me, the best club in the world," said Bouaddi.
"I've watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners."
Bouaddi made 96 appearances for Lille after making his debut in 2023, helping them finish third in Ligue 1 last season.
At 16, he became the youngest footballer to play for Lille on his senior debut against Faroese club KI in the Europa League, before shining in Lille's Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024.
Bouaddi will join a revamped midfield, with City already signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and pursuing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea.