Manchester City have told Ayyoub Bouaddi's representatives they want him at the Etihad immediately. That is a shift from earlier openness to a loan-back to Lille, which TEAMtalk says was only ever a fallback option. The price has also climbed after the World Cup, with Lille now placing a €100m (£85m) tag on the teenager.

City's immediate plan

Fabrizio Romano said: "Manchester City want Bouaddi and are working on the deal. There are more Premier League clubs interested too. There have been several calls."

That lines up with the direction City have taken. They are no longer treating Bouaddi as a buy-and-loan project, they want him in first-team plans now. For a club that usually knows exactly when to wait and when to move, that is a pretty clear signal.

The World Cup gave the chase some extra weight. Bouaddi made five appearances and played 390 minutes for Morocco, while his average rating across the tournament was 6.63. His best recent World Cup display in the last five matches was 6.9, which is the kind of form that gets bigger clubs moving faster.

Liverpool and Arsenal are still in touch

Liverpool are not gone from the picture. David Ornstein said they are among the clubs that love him, but he also said Liverpool could only make a late move if somebody leaves first. David Lynch was just as direct, saying Liverpool would need outgoings before they could come at Bouaddi more strongly.

The fee is the obvious obstacle. Lynch said the price has moved into the sort of range that maybe Manchester City are more willing to pay for a younger player than Liverpool would be. Ryan Gravenberch's 6.62 World Cup rating sits close to Bouaddi's 6.63, which helps explain why Liverpool can admire him without forcing the issue.

Arsenal are also still part of the race, even if the strongest reporting keeps pointing back to City as the side pushing hardest. Right now, that feels like the fair read. City have a firmer plan, Liverpool need movement first, and Lille have made the cost of doing business very clear.

The next step will be whether any of the Premier League clubs turn interest into a bid before the market hardens further around Bouaddi's €100m valuation.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →