Manchester United and Arsenal are ‘within the combine’ to signal extremely rated French midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, in line with Ekrem Konur.
After spending closely in the summertime to rebuild an assault that badly underperformed in 2024–25—a season that ended trophyless and with a disappointing Fifteenth-place end—Ruben Amorim has now turned his consideration to strengthening the midfield.
Casemiro’s contract runs out on the finish of the marketing campaign, and there are nonetheless questions over what the long run holds for each Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte.
Consequently, United have began exploring midfield choices and have been linked with a number of names within the build-up to the January window. Bouaddi is the most recent participant to return onto their radar.
Regardless of solely turning 18 initially of October, the French midfielder has racked up 70 senior appearances for Lille, and he has began 11 of their 12 Ligue 1 video games this season, together with his performances catching the attention of prime European golf equipment.
In line with Konur, Man Utd and Arsenal are ‘within the combine’ over a possible deal to signal the France U21 worldwide midfielder in 2026.
In a lift to each golf equipment, the report provides that Lille are open to presents for the 18-year-old and are set to demand a payment of as much as £39m for the teen, with United and the Gunners now eager.
Nevertheless, the Premier League giants will face stern competitors for Bouaddi’s signature, as Konur claims Actual Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, who’re main the race for his signature, have all expressed curiosity within the midfielder, in line with the report.
Prospect
Man United’s midfield nonetheless wants reshuffling, even with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro enjoying properly this season. Casemiro’s state of affairs makes it much more pressing, as he turns 34 in February and his deal runs out on the finish of the season.
For Arsenal, the North London membership strengthened their midfield ranks in the summertime and now possesses an array of high quality choices to select from to play in the course of the park.
Mikel Arteta welcomed Martin Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard so as to add depth to his defensive midfield ranks alongside Mikel Merino and Declan Rice.
Therefore, a swap to United seems extra logical, as Ruben Amorim remains to be within the early rebuilding part of his tenure, and the probability of elevated minutes at Previous Trafford — notably if Casemiro departs subsequent summer season — makes the transfer much more interesting to the teen.
