Man City pushing for $114M World Cup star with Liverpool set to miss out on transfer

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Following a string of impressive performances for Morocco at this summer's World Cup, midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is a man in demand, though it would appear as though it won't be Anfield he'll move toLiverpool could quickly fall behind in the race for Morocco starlet Ayyoub Bouaddi this summerManchester City is reportedly leading the race to sign Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer, with the eight-time Premier League champion said to be pushing hard for the 18-year-old ahead of him making a decision on his future.Bouaddi has arguably been the breakout star of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after helping Morocco reach the latter stages of the tournament once more, starting five of his nation's six games as they made it to the quarter-finals before eventually losing to France.However, it appeared to be just a sign of things to come for Bouaddi, who is now in high demand as a result of his impressive performances in North America over the past month, with Liverpool among a number of clubs already being mentioned in the same sentence as the Lille starlet.It emerged last week that Liverpool is reluctantly willing to loan Bouaddi back to Lille for the 2026-27 season "if it is the only way to get a deal done" for the Moroccan this summer, per TEAMtalk, amid increased interest in his name.Ideally, the Reds would want to bring the teenage starlet straight into Andoni Iraola 's squad, especially if the likes of Curtis Jones are set to depart before the transfer window closes, but with Lille expected to play hardball over a transfer, certain measures are being considered.However, Liverpool might not even get a chance to move forward with such a plan if reports about Man City 's keen interest are to be believed, with The Athletic revealing that the Etihad Stadium outfit is now "pushing hard for Bouaddi."Bouaddi has emerged as one of the breakout stars at this summer's World Cup(Image: Getty Images)According to the outlet, Bouaddi is expected to make a decision on his future "soon" after returning from the World Cup with Morocco, with Lille waiting until he returns before sitting down to discuss all options.One of those, of course, is to remain with Lille, but should the teenager want to move onto bigger things, then the Ligue 1 club is ready to demand €100 million ($114m) for his services.Despite already signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for an eye-watering £116m ($155.3m) this summer, Man City appears keen to splash the cash once more in order to bring Bouaddi across the English Channel.What helps City's case is that it would rather integrate him immediately than loan him back or train him up for a year, having already lost Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid in that area of the pitch, while there has been speculation over the futures of Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders.New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola made clear his desire for the club to sign 'more players' at his first press conference on Monday(Image: Andrew Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Should a move materialize, then it won't all be plain sailing for Enzo Maresca's new side, given Arsenal, Manchester United, and, of course, Liverpool are some of the teams to have been in contact with Bouaddi’s camp over the past 12 months.For the Reds, news of City's strong interest will certainly come as a blow, but should the club be serious about bringing Bouaddi to Anfield, then they will have just as good a chance as any to get a deal over the line.New Liverpool head coach Iraola has already made clear to the club's owners that they need to sign more players this summer, and Bouaddi would certainly be a statement signing for the Spaniard ahead of his first season in charge.