How Man City target Ayyoub Bouaddi stunned Jude Bellingham on his 17th birthday

Manchester City have joined the growing race for Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi, but his rise to the top has been far from surprising.

A whole host of top European sides have sat up and taken notice of the 18-year-old Moroccan international, who looked completely at home against Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

He is the talk of the town back in Ligue 1, having helped Lille to a third-place finish last season, with the likes of Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich also noticing.

It would appear, however, that Enzo Maresca's side are best-placed to win the teenager's signature, but his price tag is only going to go up at this summer's tournament.

Bouaddi became Lille's all-time youngest appearance maker back in October 2023, and he has hardly had time to look back since.

That is far from his only impressive achievement, though, and Man City fans will be excited to learn all of the midfielder's capabilities over the coming weeks.

Why Real Madrid are also interested in Ayyoub Bouaddi

Real Madrid are also one of the teams keeping tabs on Bouaddi this summer, and that is hardly surprising after his audition in 2024-25.

In the Champions League in October 2024, a single Jonathan David goal stunned the 15-time European champions, with the youngster playing the entire game.

On what was his 17th birthday, Bouaddi outshone Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde.

He completed 98 per cent of his passes, covered the most distance of anyone on the pitch, dived into six ground duels, and was key to Lille's surprise win [FotMob].

Since that moment, he has only gone from strength to strength, and the 2026 World Cup could be the platform that supporters his leap to the Premier League this summer.

How much would Man City have to spend on the midfielder?

The Citizens are already set to splash an eye-watering amount of mony on Elliot Anderson, with further interest in Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali.

A move for Bouaddi could cost another £70million-£85m, with Arsenal reportedly already having a £52m bid rejected earlier in the summer window.

With City already losing Bernardo Silva, and Rodri coming to the end of his time at the Etihad, making moves to replace them in much-needed.

Bouaddi is still very much a raw character in the middle of the park, but his talent is clear for all to see, and that's exactly why Man City need to win the race for his signature.