Arsenal have reportedly stolen a march on Manchester United and Liverpool in the race to sign LOSC Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, as per Caught Offside.
The 18-year-old started his youth career at AFC Creil before joining Les Dogues’s academy back in 2021. He made his first team debut for the Ligue 1 side at the age of 16 before establishing himself as a key starter last term.
In 42 appearances across all competitions, the youngster registered a solitary assist and helped his side qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Bouaddi played for France’s youth teams at various levels, but has decided to represent Morocco on the senior international level. He even displayed an excellent performance against Brazil in his World Cup debut.
Now, Caught Offside claim that after being impressed by his recent eye-catching performances, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, and Paris Saint-Germain have expressed their interest in signing him.
Lille don’t want to sell their star player to a direct rival, but PSG haven’t given up hope of purchasing him, with the player seen as a perfect stylistic fit for Luis Enrique’s system.
However, the report state that Arsenal have already held talks with the player’s representatives to put themselves at the front of the queue in this race. The Gunners’ sporting director, Andrea Berta, has already done a lot of groundwork over this deal.
Battle
Bouaddi recently extended his deal with Lille until 2029, so the French side have no intention of letting him leave for cheap and have slapped a whopping £80m price tag on his head.
The youngster is 6ft 1in tall, technically sound, right-footed deep-lying playmaker. He is quick, strong, tidy with possession, and is also efficient in defensive contributions.
Bouaddi is deemed one of the best young midfielders in the world and possesses the necessary physical attributes to flourish in the Premier League.
So, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal, Liverpool, or Man Utd should any of those clubs purchase him this summer. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually manage to secure his service by defeating the Merseyside club and the Old Trafford club in this race.
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