Bouaddi to Manchester City? Lille president drops an unexpected surprise | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 31 Jul 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

Lille president Olivier Létang has hit out at the swirling rumours over an imminent move to Manchester City for Moroccan midfield star Ayoub Bouaddi. He flatly denied any agreement between the two clubs. Yet he also admitted how hard it would be to reject an exceptional offer, one that could reach record levels.

Speaking at a Friday evening press conference to unveil new defender Tanguy Nianzou and announce Nabil Bentaleb's contract extension, Létang settled the debate raging around his young player's future, according to France's "RMC Sport".

"Ayoub's situation is exactly as I described it before, nothing has changed," Létang said in a decisive tone, before clarifying: "I have been saying this for weeks, there is no interested club that has reached a final agreement with us, and it is genuinely astonishing how certain rumours have spread about a swap deal with a club that wears light blue," a clear reference to Manchester City.

The president of the northern club went further. "No, that is completely untrue! There is indeed interest from very big clubs, and as I mentioned before, few can afford Ayoub at the moment, but there are no other developments to speak of."

Insufficient offers

Denial aside, Létang revealed that the club had received concrete offers from major European clubs for the 18-year-old. None came close to matching Lille's ambitions. "Yes, concrete offers have been submitted, but they were not satisfactory, because Ayoub is an extremely important player for us," he said clearly.

Smiling, he confirmed the team's grip on their young star. "The only truth today is that Bouaddi is 100% a Lille player." The midfielder could yet feature in the Champions League next season under new coach Davide Ancelotti.

Any suggestion of a loan-back arrangement got short shrift. Létang insisted that any deal would be a permanent transfer or a complete stay, with no middle ground.

The 100 million euro threshold

In a rare moment of candour, the Lille president refused to rule out selling Bouaddi if the offer hit exceptional levels. That is despite the relative financial stability the club has found after weathering the French league's television broadcasting rights crisis and the debts left behind by former president Gérard Lopez.

Pressed on the 100 million euro threshold, Létang said: "We have to be realistic, and there are figures that it would be a mistake, firstly, not to anticipate, and secondly, not to complete such a deal when they come." He added: "In any transfer deal, there are 3 parties: the two clubs and the player, and the player's wishes matter too."

He signed off with a nod to discretion: "That is why these should be confidential discussions between me and Ayoub, and there is no need to talk about them publicly here."

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