Arsenal are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Lille’s highly rated midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi but face competition from Chelsea, as per Fabrice Hawkins.
Lille are undeniably one of the biggest talent factories in Europe, having nurtured some of the best prospects at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy that later turned out for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Les Dogues have had the likes of Victor Osimhen, Mike Maignan, and Jonathan David in their 2018-19 Ligue 1 winning campaign, with the trio going on to represent Napoli and later Galatasaray, AC Milan, and Juventus, respectively.
In the Premier League, several players moved from the French outfit to England, including Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba, Newcastle United’s Sven Botman, Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães and Manchester United’s Leny Yoro.
Bouaddi could potentially be the next on the move, as his performances for Lille, where he has made 14 appearances for Bruno Génésio’s side this season, are drawing keen interest from clubs in the Premier League.
This is according to French transfer expert Fabrice Hawkins, who claims that the 18-year-old is drawing interest from London giants Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, Arsenal could trump their London rival in the race for the defensive midfielder, as the journalist adds that the Gunners are ‘pushing’ hard to sign him ahead of Chelsea.
Arsenal in talks to sign Bouaddi
Writing on RMC Sport, Hawkins adds that Arsenal are preparing a formal £39m offer for the France U21 star in January, with sporting director Andrea Berta already in contact with the player’s entourage to accelerate the midfielder’s move to the Emirates ahead of Chelsea, as well as Manchester United, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Amid incessant interest in Bouaddi, Lille are keen on retaining him at the club by extending his contract so they can sell the defensive midfielder for over £43m next summer, as per the report.
The Gunners reinforced their midfield ranks in the summer, and now Mikel Arteta possesses one of the strongest midfield groups not only in the Premier League but across Europe.
Yet, in the long term, the midfield remains the clearest position that Arsenal need to address. It is the most experienced section of their outfield squad, with homegrown youngster Ethan Nwaneri standing as the only midfielder below the age of 26 in Arteta’s squad.
Bouaddi, who has earned praise for his strong off-the-ball qualities, looks like an ideal option to ease into the side and eventually take up a midfield role over the next two seasons, when any of the present first-choice midfielders depart the club.
