Liverpool is circling Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old central midfielder at LOSC Lille who has quietly become one of the most talked-about transfer targets in European football. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and PSG are all reportedly interested, turning this into a multi-club bidding war.
Bouaddi, born on 2 October 2007, made his senior debut for Lille back in 2023. His current market value sits at €50 million, but Lille has no intention of selling at that number.
The price tag keeps climbing
Arsenal reportedly submitted a bid of €60 million in June 2026. Lille rejected it. The French club is said to be seeking a minimum of €70 million, with aspirations of pushing the fee beyond €80 million. That higher figure would match or exceed the club’s previous record sale, when Nicolas Pépé left for Arsenal in a deal that hit that same €80 million threshold.
Lille’s president, Olivier Letang, is reportedly open to negotiations. The player’s contract extension, signed in December 2025 and running through June 2029, gives Lille significant bargaining power. As of June 2026, no confirmed bids beyond Arsenal’s rejected offer have materialized.
