Manchester City are nearing an agreement to sign Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouadi from Lille in a deal worth €100m, according to reports.
The 18-year-old has attracted significant attention from clubs across Europe following his performances at the 2026 World Cup, but his preference for a move to Manchester City is understood to have played a decisive role in the negotiations.
According to sources at the British network ( Team Talk ), the transfer is approaching its final stages and could see City pay €100m for the teenager.
If completed at that figure, the move would place Bouadi at the top of the list of the most expensive teenage players in football history by a considerable margin.
The current record belongs to Brazilian midfielder Endrick, who joined Real Madrid from Palmeiras in 2024 for €48m. Bouadi’s proposed €100m transfer would therefore more than double that figure.
The reported deal would put Bouadi in a category of his own among teenage transfers.
The biggest teenage transfers in football, based on the proposed Manchester City deal, would be:
| Player | Club | Transfer value |
|---|---|---|
| Ayoub Bouadi | Manchester City | €100m |
| Endrick | Real Madrid | €48m |
| Rodrygo | Real Madrid | €45m |
| Vinicius | Real Madrid | €45m |
| Archie Gray | Tottenham | €41m |
Bouadi was born in northern France and has emerged as one of the most highly valued young players in European football.
Manchester City’s hierarchy reportedly regard him as a long-term investment and see him as a possible successor to Spain midfielder Rodri Hernandez, who is expected to leave for Barcelona.
That succession plan is one of the reasons City are prepared to make such a substantial financial commitment for a player who is still only 18.
The proposed €100m fee would also establish Bouadi as the most expensive Arab player in football history.
That record is currently held by Egypt international Omar Marmoush, who joined Manchester City from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2025 for €75m.
A completed Bouadi transfer would move him €25m above Marmoush’s previous record.
The leading transfer fees paid for Arab players would then be:
| Player | Club | Transfer value |
|---|---|---|
| Ayoub Bouadi | Manchester City | €100m |
| Omar Marmoush | Manchester City | €75m |
| Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | €70m |
| Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City | €67m |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | €42m |
The proposed move would also have major significance for Lille.
Bouadi’s sale for €100m would become the French club’s biggest transfer departure, surpassing all previous sales in the club’s history.
It would also rank as the second-highest transfer involving a French club, behind only Kylian Mbappe’s €180m move from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.
For Moroccan football, the transfer would represent another landmark moment.
Bouadi would become the most expensive Moroccan player ever, adding another record to a move that is already expected to reshape several transfer rankings.
His emergence at such a young age has made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe, with clubs competing for his signature after his performances on the international stage.
However, the midfielder’s reported desire to join City has given the Premier League club an advantage in the race.
The proposed transfer would therefore represent more than a major investment in an 18-year-old. City would be acquiring a player they believe can develop into a central figure in their midfield while potentially succeeding Rodri.
Should the €100m agreement be completed, Bouadi would leave Lille as the club’s record sale, become the most expensive teenager in football history and establish a new benchmark for Arab players.
The move would also continue Manchester City’s willingness to invest heavily in young talent when the club identifies a player capable of becoming an important part of its future.
For Bouadi, meanwhile, a transfer of this scale would mark a remarkable step in his career, with the Moroccan teenager potentially moving from Lille to one of Europe’s leading clubs while simultaneously entering the history books.
