According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Manchester United have joined Arsenal and Manchester City in the race to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, this summer.
Man United have already secured a verbal agreement to land midfielder Ederson from Atalanta, but they are eyeing more midfield signings. West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes is a top target for the Red Devils, but the £85 million price tag is proving prohibitive towards a deal.
Hawkins has now revealed that the Mancunian giants are eyeing a deal for Bouaddi, who has been on Man City and Arsenal’s radar. However, he won’t come on the cheap with Lille set to demand between £69m and £86m for the highly-rated Moroccan wonderkid.
The French outfit also prefer the 18-year-old rejoining the club on loan next season to further his development.
Difficult terms
United have had no breakthrough in informal talks with the Hammers over Fernandes’ asking price. The Portuguese has been open to joining the club, but the recent interest from Tottenham Hotspur means that the 21-year-old has an alternative choice at his disposal.
If Spurs were to meet the valuation, there is a possibility that he could join them instead. Bouaddi would be a quality fallback target for the Red Devils based on his potential shown in Ligue 1 as well as the ongoing World Cup in North America with Morocco.
Bouaddi won almost 60% of his duels in Ligue 1 last campaign, while registering 2 tackles and 5 recoveries per outing. He also possesses a terrific work rate and appears more of a risk-taker with his desire to press forward with the ball at his feet.
He has fared even better at the World Cup with Morocco. He has completed 92% of his passes compared to 85% in Ligue 1. Against Brazil, he outsmarted Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes on many occasions, and the former was substituted at the break.
Bouaddi is quite clearly a huge talent and could secure a big-money transfer pretty soon. Whether that happens this summer remains to be seen. It is unlikely that any club will consider loaning him back to Lille for the entirety of the 2026/27 season.
The price tag also seems on the higher side for an 18-year-old despite his immense potential. United appear reluctant to pay over the odds for any player and they could be willing to sign the youngster for £50m without any obligation to loan him back.
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