Moroccan star Ayyoub Bouadi shone for Africa at the World Cup, with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs expressing interest in signing him after the tournament.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been linked with Ayyoub Bouadi (Image: Getty Images)
Premier League teams have been warned they may need to break the £100m threshold to sign World Cup star Ayyoub Bouadi. The teenager shone for Morocco at this summer’s tournament, playing a pivotal role in the African side’s progress to the quarter-finals.
This comes after he broke into the team aged just 16 and spent three impressive seasons with French side Lille. Bouadi’s performances have attracted the attention of many teams including Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
However, Lille president Olivier LeTang has warned interested parties that they may have to dig deep into their pockets to sign him.
“Many clubs are interested in him, but very few can afford him at the moment. He is already one of the best midfielders in the world and still has a lot of room for improvement,” he told Eurosport.
“He’s only 18 years old and has a whole future ahead of him. He’s focused on continuing to grow and winning everything.”
Asked if he had set a price for the midfielder, Letang said: “How would you answer that question… have you ever been given a number and talked about it or brought it up? No, never.”
“You have to look at his level. When players like (Elliott) Anderson and (Sandro) Tonali, who are much older but have no room for improvement, have been sold for, you can see the value of Ayub, who is only 18 years old and has a unique profile.”
From Bouadi’s perspective, he has three years left on his contract with Lille, with previous reports suggesting the club value him at around £70m.
Ayyoub Bouadi impresses at the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
He was asked about his future earlier this summer but kept any speculation at the back of his mind during the World Cup. The midfielder said: “I can’t answer this right now because at the moment I’m only focused on the World Cup.
“I’m really happy to know that some clubs are interested in me, but for now I’m focused on the World Cup here with Morocco and I’ll do everything I can to do my best.”
Bouadi and Morocco will return to action in the coming days, facing France in the quarter-finals of the tournament. If they win against Les Bleus, they will advance to the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row, and will face Portugal, Spain, the United States or Belgium in the last four.
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