Liverpool target secures ‘verbal agreement’ ahead of likely £100m-plus transfer
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Manchester City appear to be closing in on the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYMatteo Moretto reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the Lille midfielder has “reached a verbal agreement” with the Sky Blues.The Reds were reported to have held meetings over the possibility of signing the Moroccan midfielder, though it appears that the club has since taken a backseat in negotiations.Manchester City closing in on Ayyoub BouaddiThere’s no question that the 18-year-old is already an impeccable talent, having showcased his capabilities for club and country in a remarkable 2025/26 campaign.However, with a price-tag potentially entering the realm of nine figures for Bouaddi, we can understand why Liverpool haven’t devoted more attention to this transfer.
We are forcing him into the work without the ball in the press, and he is absolutely doing very well. I think the timings of the jumps are very good.“He’s always confident on the ball, so we encourage him.
He can do it, because he’s so good.” Andoni Iraola talking about Trey Nyoni 🌟 pic.twitter.com/UBsyoIRK6S https://t.co/5jqa4cSahN — Kopoholic (@TheKopoholic) July 30, 2026We completely appreciate that it’s a leap to suggest Nyoni is as developed a talent as Bouaddi – the minutes and the lack of World Cup showings would indicate otherwise.But this feels like the makings of a talent that could really blossom under Iraola’s care and guidance this season. If the coaching staff feels he has the credentials to deliver in 2026/27, we can appreciate why we might be best advised to hold off on an Ayyoub Bouaddi-type signing and reinvest our spare cash where it can make a bigger difference.On that note, and in light of Joe Gomez now being sidelined for the start of the upcoming campaign, might we humbly suggest centre-backs, Liverpool?