Chelsea and Arsenal lock horns for 17-year-old Ligue 1 sensation

Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are keen on securing the services of Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to reports.

The 17-year-old midfielder has quickly risen to prominence this season and has slowly become a regular in Lille’s first team in the 2024/25 campaign, making 15 appearances across all competitions so far.

And teenager’s impressive performances have attracted interest from top Premier League sides, according to CaughtOffside. The site also says that Serie A giants AC Milan are monitoring the situation closely.

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Chelsea’s recruitment philosophy is to invest in youth development and Bouaddi fits the bill perfectly.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s side equally have a running track record of developing young players, with Ethan Nwaneri being the latest from their academy to earn regular first-team minutes this season.

Lille have a great reputation for developing players in their academy. The French outfit have even sold names such as Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Magalhaes to Arsenal in recent years. This existing relationship between the two clubs could help the Gunners in their pursuit of Bouaddi, but CaughtOffside insists that no talks have taken place yet with any club.

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What’s been said of Bouaddi?

Lille head coach Bruno Genesio spoke highly of the teenage talent earlier this year. “He demonstrated all the potential, all the talent he has. We know what he’s capable of. He’s a boy with a very good head on his shoulders. He has the talent to play at this level. He needs to keep proving himself, but I don’t think there’s too much to worry about with him.”

While one of his former coaches, Georges Tournay said in a recent interview with L’Equipe that he shares similarities to a former Real Madrid and Manchester United defender. “Ayyoub was an obvious choice: tall, at ease in midfield, with great technique and an eye for the game (…) He was destined for success, a bit like Raphael Varane.”