Rabat – Ayyoub Bouaddi is on the verge of making Moroccan football history by becoming the most expensive Moroccan player ever after Manchester City agreed a deal worth up to €100 million with Lille.
According to Fabrizio Romano, City and Lille have reached a full agreement for Bouaddi. The package is worth €100 million, including add-ons, with the Moroccan international expected to complete his medical early next week.
If completed at the reported value, the transfer will take Bouaddi well clear of the previous Moroccan record.
Hakimi’s record finally boken
For years, Achraf Hakimi stood at the top of the list.
The Moroccan right-back joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan in 2021 in a deal widely reported at around €60 million, with additional bonuses taking the overall package higher. Some reports have placed the total value at approximately €68 million.
Hakimi’s transfer was a landmark moment for Moroccan football.
He had already established himself as one of Europe’s best young full-backs at Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan before making the move to Paris. His transfer to PSG made him the most expensive Moroccan footballer at the time.
Bouaddi is now set to take that record to another level.
At a reported €100 million, his potential move to Manchester City would be more than €30 million above the commonly reported value of Hakimi’s PSG transfer.
The Moroccan transfer ranking
Before Bouaddi’s expected move, several Moroccan stars had occupied the top positions among the country’s most expensive transfers.
Achraf Hakimi has been the standout name, with his move from Inter Milan to PSG setting the benchmark at around €60 million, rising further when add-ons are included.
Ismael Saibari has also recently entered the conversation among Morocco’s biggest transfer deals after his move to Bayern Munich, reportedly for around €50 million.
Other major Moroccan transfers include Achraf Hakimi’s €43 million move from Real Madrid to Inter Milan, as well as deals involving players such as Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri and Sofyan Amrabat.
Bouaddi’s reported €100 million deal would therefore represent a dramatic jump from the previous generation of Moroccan transfer records.
From €43M Hakimi to €100M Bouaddi
Hakimi’s career provides an interesting comparison.
In 2020, Inter Milan paid a reported €43 million to sign the defender from Real Madrid after his successful loan spell at Borussia Dortmund.
One year later, PSG paid significantly more to bring Hakimi to France.
Now, Bouaddi is reportedly set to leave Lille for a fee that would be more than double Hakimi’s original Inter-to-PSG transfer value.
The difference highlights how quickly the value of Moroccan talent has grown in the European transfer market.
Bouaddi’s rise
What makes Bouaddi’s reported transfer even more remarkable is his age.
The midfielder is only 18 years old.
He came through Lille’s academy before making his senior debut at just 16. His development at the French club quickly attracted attention from some of Europe’s biggest teams.
Manchester City eventually emerged as the club prepared to make a major investment in his future.
The reported €100 million package would make Bouaddi one of the most expensive teenagers in football history.
It would also make him one of the biggest transfer sales ever completed by Lille.
Manchester City move
Romano’s latest update indicates that the agreement between Manchester City and Lille has now been reached.
Bouaddi is expected to undergo his medical early next week before completing the move.
The Moroccan midfielder is reportedly set to miss Lille’s match as he prepares to finalize his transfer to England.
Manchester City have been pursuing Bouaddi throughout the summer. Earlier reports indicated that negotiations had moved into their final stages, with the English club pushing to secure the teenager’s signature.
The deal would add another highly rated young player to City’s squad as the club looks to build for the future.
A new Moroccan record
Bouaddi’s potential transfer is therefore about more than just a €100 million fee.
It represents a changing generation of Moroccan football.
Hakimi previously set the standard when he moved to PSG. Other Moroccan internationals have since completed major transfers across Europe’s top leagues.
Now, Bouaddi is preparing to take the record to a new level.
From Hakimi’s reported €60–68 million PSG deal to Bouaddi’s potential €100 million Manchester City move, the growth is significant.
If the transfer is completed at the reported value, Ayyoub Bouaddi will officially become the most expensive Moroccan footballer in history.
And at just 18, the biggest part of his career may still be ahead of him.
