Arsenal are continuing their strategy of investing in young talent and the latest name on the Premier League champions’ radar is Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Mikel Arteta’s team secured the Premier League title last month after major investments in first-team-ready players, but now the London leaders are also thinking about the future without disrupting the current balance of the squad.
According to reports in The Times, Arsenal have made contact with Bouadd’s representatives, a common step in the early stages of a transfer to gauge interest in the player. However, there are no official talks between Arsenal and Lille yet.
The French club are believed to value the 18-year-old at around £60 million ($80.5 million), a figure similar to what Arsenal paid for the transfer of Martin Zubimendi last summer.
Bouaddi is a product of Lille’s academy and made his first-team debut in 2023, just three days after turning 16. Although born in northern France, he chose to represent Morocco at international level and started in the 1-1 draw with Brazil in the opening match of the World Cup.
The young midfielder made a big impression in that match, covering a lot of space on the field, rarely making mistakes in passing, and constantly recovering balls for his team.
The interest in Bouaddin doesn’t just come from Arsenal. The report states that Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are also closely monitoring his situation.
Arteta is said to see the Moroccan as part of a midfield rotation, where he wants to have four quality options in the two central positions. Currently, the main alternatives are Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has returned to his natural role in midfield after a long spell as a left-back.
Although Bouaddi is not known for his attacking stats and has yet to score a goal in over 100 professional appearances for club and country, he is regarded as a complete player. The Moroccan talent is considered to combine the physical qualities of Declan Rice with the playmaking ability and intelligent distribution of the ball that characterizes Martin Zubimendi.
His performances on the biggest stage of world football have significantly increased the interest of elite European clubs, while Arsenal seems determined not to be left behind in the race for one of the most promising midfielders of the new generation.
