Manchester City are still keeping an eye on Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, even after committing a huge fee to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
According to ESPN, City are monitoring the 18-year-old ahead of a possible summer move.
That is interesting because the Premier League giants have already made a major midfield investment, with The Guardian reporting that City have agreed a £116m deal with Nottingham Forest for England midfielder Anderson.
Bouaddi is also being chased by Premier League champions Arsenal this summer as Mikel Arteta is targeting new midfielders for his team.
Bouaddi is being targeted by Man City this summer
City’s interest in Bouaddi shows they are not only thinking about immediate starters.
Anderson would arrive as a ready-made Premier League option, but Bouaddi represents a different type of deal: young, technically gifted and with huge development potential.
The Lille midfielder is already rated highly across Europe. Transfermarkt lists him as an 18-year-old central midfielder at LOSC Lille, with a market value of around €50m and a contract running until 2029.
His rise has been rapid, and his composure in midfield has made him one of the more exciting young players in France.
Arsenal have also looked at Bouaddi, according to ESPN, although the Gunners’ main focus appears to be Newcastle United star Bruno Guimarães.
That could give City an opening if they decide to move quickly.
Would the Moroccan midfielder join City?
Bouaddi is exactly the kind of player Man City should be tracking.
He may not be ready to walk straight into Guardiola’s strongest XI, but his intelligence, ball security and physical profile make him a very interesting long-term project.
The youngster has impressed for Morocco at the World Cup and that is why clubs like City, Arsenal and Liverpool are keen on signing him.
The Anderson deal shows City want proven quality now, but Bouaddi would be about future control. If he continues developing at Lille, his price could climb quickly.
City should not rush into another expensive midfield signing just for the sake of it.
But if they believe Bouaddi can become an elite player, moving early could prove smarter than waiting until the rest of Europe joins the race.
Top priority: Arteta makes ‘fantastic’ Premier League player his number one target
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