MANCHESTER CITY PURSUE LILLE MIDFIELDER BOUADDI FOR £85M

Manchester City are pursuing a move for Ayyoub Bouaddi, an 18-year-old midfielder at Lille, with the club willing to pay €100m (£85m) for the teenager. Bouaddi attracted attention following his performances for Morocco at the World Cup. Hugo Viana, City's director of football, admires Bouaddi's technical ability and positional sense. Manager Enzo Maresca intends to integrate Bouaddi into the first-team squad for the forthcoming season.

Bouaddi started five of Morocco's six matches at the World Cup, including the quarter-final defeat by France. His professional debut for Lille came in October 2023 in a Europa Conference competition match against Ki, when he was 16 years and three days old, making him the youngest footballer to play in competition. The proposed signing would bring Manchester City's summer spending to £200m on two players, following the £116m acquisition of Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

Elsewhere in the transfer window, Manchester United confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Karl Darlow, pending registration. The 35-year-old agreed a two-year contract after departing Leeds and will compete with Senne Lammens for the starting role. Darlow stated the move represented "a really special opportunity", whilst Jason Wilcox, United's director of football, described Darlow as a "strong addition" whose proven ability at the highest level and work ethic strengthened the squad. Darlow has made 279 career appearances, including 74 in the Premier League.