The future of Ayyoub Bouaddi continues to fuel the transfer market. After LOSC’s draw against Everton (1-1) on Saturday at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Davide Ancelotti publicly confirmed the existence of negotiations surrounding the Moroccan international midfielder. Manchester City currently appears to be the club most advanced in this matter.
Starting on the bench, Bouaddi played the entire second half. His absence from the starting eleven could have been interpreted as a consequence of ongoing discussions, but the Lille coach dismissed this hypothesis. He assured that his player was fully fit and that his 45 minutes on the field were solely a management decision regarding his playing time ahead of the Ligue 1 restart.
“Of course, there are negotiations. Many clubs are interested,” acknowledged Davide Ancelotti in remarks reported by The Telegraph and The Times. The Italian coach, however, clearly expressed his desire to keep the Moroccan, whom he still considers available for the start of the season.
Ancelotti also spoke particularly highly of him. He highlighted Bouaddi’s personality, intelligence, maturity, as well as his technical and physical qualities. “He is 18 years old, but looks 32 on the field,” he stated, before predicting a future among the best midfielders in Europe for the young Lion of the Atlas over the next decade.
On the field, Bouaddi contributed to Lille’s resurgence after Iliman Ndiaye opened the scoring with a penalty in the 41st minute. LOSC ultimately equalized in stoppage time thanks to Hákon Haraldsson (90+2), salvaging a draw in their final preparation match. The Dogues will kick off their league campaign on August 23, but uncertainty remains regarding Bouaddi’s presence for this first official fixture.
This statement marks a new step in the case. After several reports indicating advanced discussions and an agreement on personal terms with Manchester City, the existence of negotiations is now acknowledged by the LOSC coach himself. The two clubs still need to find common ground to allow the transfer to materialize.
