Manchester City Target Ayyoub Bouaddi as Transfer Window Closes
Manchester City are closing on what they believe will be the next pillar of their midfield, pushing hard to land Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille before the window slams shut.
City, according to Jeremy Cross, are confident they can drag the Morocco international to the Etihad Stadium in time, with talks centring on an £85m fee and a five-year contract. It is a heavyweight move for an 18-year-old, but inside the club there is little doubt about his ceiling.
They are not alone at the table. Lille have been fielding calls from several clubs, and head coach Davide Ancelotti has been walking a tightrope: selling the project to his young star while acknowledging the reality of the market.
“Bouaddi is a very good player,” Ancelotti said, after giving him 45 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. “He is available and he played 45 minutes. But that is only because I have to manage his minutes. Next week we start the season and I consider him as an available player for me.
“Of course, there are negotiations. There is interest from so many clubs. He is a really, really good player and I hope that he is going to stay with us.”
Ancelotti’s admiration runs deep. Asked what sets Bouaddi apart, he did not hesitate.
“He has a huge personality. He is incredibly intelligent on and off the pitch, he is really mature. He is 18 years old but he looks like he is 32 when he is on the pitch.
“Technically he is really complete. He is also physical, really strong in duels. He’s going to be one of the best midfielders in Europe for the next ten years.”
That is exactly the profile City want as they quietly reshape the centre of their team. Manager Enzo Maresca, pressed on the Bouaddi pursuit, kept to the line but made his broader message clear.
“He’s still a Lille player,” Maresca said. “But any new signing, any new player, for sure as soon as they arrive it’s better.
“Because we’re going to start the Premier League in one week. If they start to work with us as soon as possible, it’s better if they can also understand the way we need to play.”
United rebuild on a budget
Across Manchester, the mood is different. Manchester United have already spent heavily, but Michael Carrick’s rebuild is being forced into a more pragmatic phase.
United need a central midfielder and a left-back. They have already moved aggressively in midfield, paying £50m to prise Andrey Santos from Chelsea and then triggering Youri Tielemans’ £35m release clause at Aston Villa. Those deals have stiffened a soft centre that worried Carrick last season.
Yet Casemiro’s departure has left another hole. The Brazil international’s contract expired and he has since joined David Beckham-owned Inter Miami on a free transfer, taking his experience and bite out of United’s dressing room.
So United are still looking, but the next steps are likely to be cheaper and less glamorous. The early big spends have come and gone; now comes the value hunt.
Carrick knows he cannot stand still.
“I think we’ve done really good business and we’ve got really some top, top, top players,” he said. “We’re delighted with that. We always want to improve. We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that. That never stops.”
Galatasaray test United’s resolve over Fernandes
While United search for reinforcements, they are also batting away interest in their captain.
Galatasaray are reportedly plotting an audacious move for Bruno Fernandes as they try to match the eye-catching work of rivals Fenerbahce and Besiktas. According to The Independent, the Turkish giants are piecing together a lucrative package for the 31-year-old playmaker in a bid to make him the face of their summer.
United’s stance is blunt. Fernandes is not for sale.
Fresh from a record-breaking Premier League assist campaign that fired United back into the Champions League, the Portuguese midfielder remains the centrepiece of their attack. He is in the final year of his deal, but United hold a one-year extension option and are refusing to even discuss a departure on the eve of the new season.
Galatasaray can plan and push as much as they like. For now, Old Trafford is closed for business where their captain is concerned.
Juventus move for Vicario after Martinez deal collapses
In north London, another saga is gathering pace. Juventus have stepped up their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
The 29-year-old watched from the stands as Spurs faced Hoffenheim in a friendly at the weekend, waiting for clarity on his future. He has long wanted a return to Italy, and that wish is edging closer to reality.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Juventus are now in direct talks with Tottenham over a loan that would include an option to buy next summer. It is a significant shift after the Serie A club walked away from a move for Emi Martinez.
That deal fell apart over the gap in valuation between Aston Villa and Juventus. Villa, meanwhile, have already lined up their own change in goal, agreeing a move for Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. The dominoes are in motion; Vicario looks likely to be the next to fall.
Arteta and Maresca push for late reinforcements
Across the Premier League’s elite, the theme is the same: business done, but not finished.
At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated but focused figure as he explained why only one defender sat among his substitutes. Injuries have left his squad exposed in key zones.
“Well, we know that there are certain areas that, through injuries, we are weaker and we need to strengthen,” he said. “We are trying to do that, we’ve been trying to do that for weeks, so only the right opportunity and the club is able to do it. We will do it.”
The message from the top clubs is clear. Squads have been upgraded, money has been spent, and statements have been made. Yet with the season about to start, nobody feels finished.
For City, everything now hangs on whether they can turn admiration into action and prise Bouaddi away from Lille’s grip. If they do, they are betting that an 18-year-old with the poise of a veteran will anchor their midfield for the next decade.
If they do not, someone else might – and that is the risk no superclub wants to take with a talent described as one of Europe’s next great midfielders.
