Chelsea to rival Arsenal for Ligue 1 wonderkid

Cameron Smith

• 10 Nov 2024 16:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly among the clubs interested in signing Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi in 2025.

The 17-year-old is being monitored by a host of top European clubs after an impressive start to the new campaign and he is set to be involved in a transfer tug-of-war next summer.

AC Milan, Juventus and Liverpool are also interested in the Lille midfielder, while Arsenal and Chelsea have joined the race to sign him, according to CaughtOffside.

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Lille have reportedly set their asking price for Bouaddi at around €25-30 million in a bid to ward off suitors from the continent, and they are eager to extend his contract, which is currently due to expire in 2027.

Bouaddi has already racked up 11 first-team appearances so far this campaign, including four starts across Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

The Morocco U20 international played 90 minutes during Lille’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in October and he received significant praise from Bruno Genesio following the match.

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“He demonstrated all the potential, all the talent he has," Lille boss Genesio admitted. “We know what he's capable of. He's a boy with a very good head on his shoulders.

“He has the talent to play at this level. He needs to keep proving himself, but I don't think there's too much to worry about with him.”

Ayyoub Bouaddi: Lille’s record-breaking teenager

Bouaddi became Lille’s youngest player of all time when he made his first-team debut in the Europa Conference League against Faroese club KÍ in October 2023.

At 16 years and three days old, Bouaddi also became the youngest player to ever feature in a European club match.