English Premier League powerhouse Manchester City has kicked off a major midfield overhaul with a blockbuster signing, securing Moroccan international Ayyoub Bouaddi from French Ligue 1 side Lille in an £85.6 million deal that makes the 18-year-old the most expensive teenager in Premier League history.
Bouaddi has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the club, with the transfer still waiting on formal international clearance to be finalized. The structure of the agreement sees Manchester City pay an initial £81.4 million upfront, with an additional £4.2 million tied to performance-based add-ons. The move comes just days after City offloaded two key first-team midfielders: fan-favorite Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, moved to Barcelona for £65 million, while Tijjani Reinders completed a £52 million switch to Saudi side Al-Qadsiah, clearing both salary cap space and a spot in the starting lineup for the teenage prospect.
Bouaddi first caught the eye of top European scouts during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, where he started five of Morocco’s six matches as the North African side advanced to the tournament quarter-finals. Before his breakout international run, he had already cemented his status as a key starter for Lille in Ligue 1, emerging as one of the most promising young midfield talents in European football.
“This is a very special day for me and my family,” Bouaddi told reporters after completing the move. “Manchester City are, for me, the best club in the world. It’s a dream to be here and be able to call myself a City player. I have spent most of my life working hard to become the best player I can be and reach the top of the game. I’ve watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners – this club feels like it was built to win.”
The transfer fee for Bouaddi smashes the previous Premier League record for a teenager, which was set just last year when Manchester United signed another Lille young talent, French defender Leny Yoro, for £58.9 million. Bouaddi’s senior career trajectory has been nothing short of rapid: he made his first-team debut for Lille in 2023 at just 16 years old, becoming the youngest senior player in the club’s history when he took the pitch against Faroese side KI in a Europa League fixture. By 2024, he had announced himself to the global football community with a standout performance in Lille’s stunning Champions League victory over Real Madrid. Across two seasons with Lille, he made 96 first-team appearances and helped the club secure a third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, earning eight international caps for Morocco along the way.
Bouaddi is not the only new addition to City’s revamped midfield this transfer window. The club already completed a club-record £116 million signing of English international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer. The two young talents are expected to complement each other perfectly: Bouaddi operates as a deep-lying playmaker who controls the tempo of matches from midfield, while Anderson is a dynamic box-to-box presence who can also fill the number six role for both club and country.
Manchester City’s midfield rebuild is not yet complete, however. Club sources confirm the side is preparing a formal offer for Chelsea’s Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who is valued at £120 million by the London club, though it remains unclear whether the two sides can reach an agreement before the close of the transfer deadline on Tuesday.
Bouaddi’s arrival is just the latest in a string of outgoing and incoming moves for City this week. Brazilian winger Savio (previously known as Savinho) completed a £75 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, while Tottenham have also agreed a loan deal for City’s Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush. Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez is also set to depart the Etihad Stadium, with Newcastle United having agreed an £85.6 million deal for his services.
Speaking on the signing, BBC Manchester City reporter Shamoon Hafez noted that Bouaddi has big shoes to fill following Rodri’s departure, with the Spanish midfielder having cemented his status as one of the best holding midfielders in the world during his time at City. Unlike Rodri, who was already a proven elite talent when he joined the club, Bouaddi is signed for his unfulfilled potential, which places considerable pressure on the 18-year-old to adapt quickly to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. With Rodri, Reinders, Bernardo Silva, and soon Gonzalez all departing the City midfield this summer, Enzo Maresca’s side still needs additional depth to compete across all competitions this season. Now, with the 2025-26 Premier League season already underway, Bouaddi, Anderson, and any potential new signings will need to hit the ground running to integrate into City’s title-chasing squad.