Liverpool's Pursuit of Ayyoub Bouaddi: Not Out of the Race Yet
Liverpool are not out of the race for Ayyoub Bouaddi. Not yet, and not by a long way.
Manchester City may be preparing what has been described as a “hard push” for the Lille midfielder, but Liverpool still see the 18-year-old as a live target, a player who fits neatly into the vision Andoni Iraola laid out in his first week at Anfield.
Iraola’s midfield blueprint
Iraola’s opening press conference set the tone for a new era on Merseyside. He spoke openly about the need to refresh Liverpool’s attack after Mohamed Salah, but he also lingered on the midfield – the area that will carry his high-tempo, high-intensity football.
Curtis Jones, he made clear, is part of the plan. Two other midfielders, seemingly finished under Arne Slot, have been handed unexpected lifelines. Yet even with that internal reset, there is a shared understanding inside the club: this midfield still needs more power, more athleticism, more legs to sustain the style Iraola wants.
That is where Bouaddi comes in.
The Lille teenager has already racked up 96 senior appearances in Ligue 1, an extraordinary number for a player of his age. His profile has exploded off the back of an impressive World Cup with Morocco, dragging Europe’s elite into the conversation. Arsenal, PSG, Real Madrid – all watching. All aware.
City, though, have moved from admiration to action. On Tuesday, reports emerged that they are ready to accelerate talks, emboldened by an 11-player clearout at the Etihad that has opened both squad space and budget.
Yet Liverpool have not stepped aside.
Price war shaped by a skewed market
The problem is not the player. It is the price.
Earlier in the summer, a bid in the region of €60m (£51m, $68m) might have forced Lille into a decision. That figure is gone. The French club now value Bouaddi at around €100m (£85m, $114m), a number inflated by both his World Cup performances and a transfer market that has lost all sense of proportion.
Manchester City’s £116m signing of Elliot Anderson has helped twist the market for top young midfielders into something close to absurd. Lille know it, and they are pricing accordingly.
Liverpool specialist journalist David Lynch has been clear: the fee is a major obstacle, but it does not knock Liverpool out of the race.
“He’s definitely a player Liverpool admire and have done before the World Cup,” Lynch said on the Anfield Index podcast, underlining that this is not a reaction to one good tournament but a long-standing piece of scouting.
Bouaddi’s displays in North America have only strengthened that conviction while simultaneously complicating the deal. As Lynch put it, his World Cup has “pushed the price up even further”, into territory where City, historically more willing to pay premium money for younger players, are often more comfortable than Liverpool.
That is the tension at the heart of this pursuit: a player Liverpool love, in a market Liverpool dislike.
FSG’s calculation: sell to strike?
So what has to happen for Liverpool to move?
Timing and outgoings.
Lynch believes any serious push for Bouaddi is likely to be tied to departures from Iraola’s midfield group. Fenway Sports Group have rarely sanctioned huge outlays without a clear financial pathway, and this one looks no different.
“The big thing you can say about midfield and coming to Liverpool is that it’s going to take some outgoings,” Lynch explained. For Liverpool to land Bouaddi, he suggests, one significant midfielder probably has to leave first.
If that happens, the dynamic shifts. An exit would free up both space and funds, allowing Liverpool to “come at Bouaddi a bit stronger”, as Lynch put it. Until then, they are in the race but not dictating the pace.
What is not in doubt is their admiration. “The one thing I do know about this is that he’s a player that they like,” Lynch concluded.
City may be ready to test Lille’s resolve. Other giants are circling. Yet Liverpool, armed with a new manager, a clear tactical identity and a long-standing interest, are still in position.
The question now is simple: will they find the courage – and the cash – to turn that admiration into a bid that can survive in this distorted market?
