Manchester City Target Lille Star Ayyoub Bouaddi

Manchester City are edging closer to their next major summer signing, with talks under way for Lille’s teenage sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi after his breakout World Cup.

The 18-year-old midfielder lit up the tournament with Morocco, starting in all but one of their matches as they surged to the quarter-finals. Just weeks earlier he had only broken into the senior national team, riding the momentum of a superb club season in France.

With Lille, Bouaddi was a central figure in a campaign that ended with third place in Ligue 1 and a Champions League return. One year. One leap. From promising prospect to one of Europe’s most-watched young midfielders.

Now City are pushing hardest.

Ancelotti confirms negotiations

New Lille head coach Davide Ancelotti has not tried to play down the situation. Asked about Manchester City’s interest, he admitted to Ouest France: “Of course, there are negotiations. Many clubs are interested in him.”

That line alone underlines Bouaddi’s rise. The competition is real, but City, by all indications, are in the driving seat.

The price to get him out of Lille will not be small. A fee of around €100m (£85.5m) has been floated as the figure that could seal the deal, a staggering number for a player who only made his international debut this year.

Ancelotti, who took over from Bruno Genesio earlier in the summer after his compatriot’s move to Marseille, struck a different tone when pressed on whether a transfer is close. He pushed back, at least publicly.

“He is a very, very good player and I hope he will stay with us,” he said. “The season starts next week and I consider him a player at my disposal.”

For now, Lille are treating him as theirs. City are trying to change that.

Limited minutes, big questions

The speculation intensified over the weekend. Bouaddi started Lille’s friendly against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday but was withdrawn at half-time after just 45 minutes.

In pre-season, every minute is scrutinised. French reporters immediately asked whether the early substitution was a sign that Lille were protecting a valuable asset on the verge of a move.

Ancelotti rejected that idea and offered a more pragmatic explanation.

“He was physically ready to play and he did play 45 minutes – but that’s only because I have to manage his playing time,” the Lille coach insisted.

Even so, with negotiations acknowledged and a nine-figure price tag circulating, every decision around Bouaddi now feels loaded. Every half-time substitution, every squad list, every word.

Lille open their Ligue 1 campaign with a trip to Angers on Sunday afternoon. For Ancelotti, the question is simple but pressing: will his brightest young midfielder still be on the team sheet by the time the real games begin, or will Manchester City’s next era in midfield be built around a player he has barely had time to coach?