Bouaddi

Aged 18 years and 341 days, Ayyoub Bouaddi became the fourth-youngest player to start a Champions League match for City.

Question marks were raised around the size of the fee for a position on the pitch where players can be exposed, but Bouaddi seems to have settled in immediately and showcased why he will be a valuable option this season.

“He is very good,” said manager Enzo Maresca. “Against Coventry, he lost two balls and after that he was inside our box and calm. Other players may have panicked but at 18, he is a fantastic player.

“Tonight, he was very good. He speaks French, English, Spanish perfect. He is different in how mature he is. This is why the club has made the effort for him to be with us.”

BBC Sport reported City’s interest in Bouaddi in June and, contrary to reports, sources said signing him and then loaning back to Lille for a season was not on the agenda.

The performance in Portugal highlighted why those in power at City believe he has all attributes to “develop into a world class talent” and he clearly enjoys playing on the biggest stage.

Two years ago, Bouaddi earned a standing ovation from Lille supporters after helping his side to a shock group phase victory over holders Real Madrid and the travelling City fans will have been doing the same in Portugal on Tuesday evening.

Bouaddi completed 54 of his 55 passes, while he also topped the metrics across players of both sides for most dribbles (4), most times possession won (7) and contesting more duels (13).

“He did a really good game,” said Haaland. “The last couple of weeks in training, he has been amazing. I think we have got a gem there, to be honest.”

Though it was only Bouaddi’s 10th appearance in the competition, the Norwegian sent a playful yet pointed message to his team-mate about needing to be perfect all of the time.

The striker added: “I think he should’ve played me through in the second half so I was a bit angry.

“But he played a good game… except for that pass.”

Manchester City are in advanced talks with Lille over a move for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The Premier League side want to conclude the transfer this week after agreeing to sell Rodri to Barcelona.

It is understood Lille value the 18-year-old at 100 million euros (£85.6m).

Bouaddi impressed at this summer’s World Cup – starting all of Morocco’s five matches in their run to the last 16 – after a starring role in Lille’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024 announced him on the big stage.

He functions as a deep-lying conductor – much in the same vein as Rodri – and would complement summer signing Elliot Anderson, who is more of a box-to-box midfielder.

Bouaddi has played 88 times for Lille since making his debut in October 2023, three days after his 16th birthday, and helped them finish third in Ligue 1 last season.

Spain captain Rodri is set to complete a £65m move to Barcelona in the coming days on a four-year contract.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner has made 298 appearances across seven trophy-laden seasons at City after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a then club record £62.8m.

The 30-year-old missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.

However, he was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.

It remains to be seen how a successful move for Bouaddi would impact City’s interest in Chelsea‘s Enzo Fernandez, but well-placed sources maintain that City manager Enzo Maresca retains a strong interest in the Argentina midfielder.

Aston Villa are in negotiations over Zion Suzuki, boosting Juventus’ hope of signing Emiliano Martinez, while Arsenal are told price for Victor Osimhen.

Aston Villa are in negotiations to sign Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma after the 23-year-old’s proposed move to Paris St-Germain collapsed. (Talksport), external

Villa’s interest in Suzuki has boosted Juventus’ hope of signing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 33, from the Premier League club. (Football Italia), external

Arsenal must offer more than £60m to stand a chance of signing Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 27, from Galatasaray this summer. (Football Insider), external

Barcelona believe their third offer of 70m euros (£59.8m) for Rodri will be enough to persuade Manchester City to sell the Spain midfielder, 30. (AS – in Spanish), external

Manchester City are in negotiations to sign Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, who want at least £85m for the 18-year-old. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Newcastle have revived talks to sign Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, 31, with Aston Villa and Benfica also interested in the Portugal midfielder. (Mail), external

Inter Milan are keen to sell Brazilian winger Luis Henrique, 24, to fund a move for Liverpool‘s England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, who is expected to cost about 40m euros (£34m). (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Chelsea are demanding £60m for Nicolas Jackson, with Aston Villa, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid among the clubs interested in the Senegal striker, 25. (RMC Sport – in French), external

Chelsea‘s English forward Liam Delap, 23, wants to stay in the Premier League despite interest from Como, with Newcastle and Everton monitoring his situation. (Talksport), external

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, 27, has made it clear to Liverpool that he wants to leave the club and join Tottenham. (Teamtalk), external

Benfica are keen on English defender Tosin Adarabioyo, 28, who has slipped down the pecking order at Chelsea. (Caught Offside), external