Ayyoub Bouaddi joins Manchester City from Lille for €100m

Ayyoub Bouaddi has completed a high-profile transfer from Lille to Manchester City, joining the English club for a fee reported to be approximately €100 million including bonuses. Despite long-standing rumors linking the 19-year-old Moroccan international to Paris Saint-Germain, the French club never made a concrete attempt to sign him.

Reports indicate that PSG manager Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos decided not to pursue a new midfielder to avoid creating competition for existing players like Vitinha, João Neves, and Fabián Ruiz, as well as developing homegrown talents Warren Zaïre-Emery and Senny Mayulu. While PSG monitored Bouaddi's progress, Manchester City's sporting project was reportedly preferred by the player and his entourage. Bouaddi, who featured prominently for Morocco during the 2026 World Cup, will face his former club when Manchester City meets PSG in the Champions League.