Lille set to rival Strasbourg for the signature of Academie Mohamed VI’s promising duo | OneFootball

After having signed Ethan Mbappé (17) and Ngal’Ayel Mukau (19), Lille OSC are looking to bring more young talent to their squad, but Les Dogues are facing competition from RC Strasbourg Alsace to sign Academie Mohamed VI’s promising duo of Mouad Dahak (18) and Yassir Zabiri (18), reports Foot Mercato.

In the past few years, Academie Mohamed VI have earned the reputation of developing talents on the go, with the likes of Nayef Aguerd (28), Azzedine Ounahi (24), and Youssef En-Nesyri (27), among others. Earlier this summer, Stade Rennais signed Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal (18), one of the academy’s biggest defensive talents. Two other Moroccans could join Ligue 1 in the next few weeks, with their performances at the international level and during the Academie Mohamed VI’s annual tournament having caught the eyes of both Strasbourg and Lille.

Named as the tournament’s best player in 2023 despite the presence of European giants such as PSV Eindhoven, Real Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais, and Olympique de Marseille, among others, Dahak (18) have followed on the same path in the last year, with an impressive record of five goals and four assists in his last eight international appearances with Morocco U20. Loaned out to US Touarga in Morrocco’s top flight, he scored one goal in eight games and is now ready for a giant leap forward by rallying France. The 18-year-old midfielder, tracked by Lille and Strasbourg, could be joined by Zabiri, his teammate at Touarga, who also comes from the ranks of Academie Mohamed VI. The striker walks in the footsteps of his friend, as he was named the player of the tournament in this year’s edition, succeeding Dahak. Also loaned out to Touarga in the last six months, Zabiri scored three goals in 11 games and eight goals in 12 appearances on the international stage with Morocco U20. According to Foot Mercato, Academie Mohamed VI would ask for €200K and 40% of the amount of a future sale to let go of Dahak, while the potential fee for his teammate hasn’t filtered.

GFFN l Grégoire Devaux