Manchester City offers €100m for Bouaddi, historic record for LOSC

Manchester City has begun discussions with LOSC over the transfer of 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for €100 million. If the deal goes through, it would become the biggest sale in the history of the Lille club.

The Citizens are looking to fill the void left by Rodri, who was sold to FC Barcelona for around €70 million. The Moroccan midfielder, breakout star of the 2026 World Cup, tops their priority list, alongside Argentine Enzo Fernandez, whose future at Chelsea is uncertain.

Bouaddi, under contract with LOSC until June 2029, has already made 96 professional appearances in the red and white shirt of the northern club despite his young age. LOSC prefers to keep him, but president Olivier Létang acknowledges the economic reality of the situation. “You have to be realistic and there are figures for which it would be a mistake, first of all not to anticipate, and secondly not to complete such a transfer,” he said.

Lille has built its reputation on high-value sales: Rafael Leão sold to AC Milan for €50m in 2020, Nicolas Pépé sold to Arsenal for around €80m the same year, Victor Osimhen transferred to Naples for a similar amount in 2021, and more recently Leny Yoro left for Manchester City for over €60m in 2025. A Bouaddi transfer at €100 million would represent a new milestone in this trajectory.