Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi poised for major position change at Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City are considering a major positional change for midfield talent Ayyoub Bouaddi, should they manage to sign the Morocco international this summer.

Bouaddi has emerged as one of the standout young midfielders in European football, with the teenager’s performances for Lille and at the FIFA World Cup with Morocco drawing the attention of several of the continent’s most prominent clubs ahead of the summer window.

City have been among the clubs most consistently credited with an interest in Bouaddi, with director of football Hugo Viana understood to regard the midfielder as a player who fits the profile of long-term recruit the club have prioritised in recent windows.

The pursuit has, however, been framed largely as one for the future, with previous reporting suggesting City would look to sign Bouaddi now before loaning him back to Lille for a further season – though this latest update indicates the club’s thinking may be more fluid than first understood.

Report: Man City weighing loan-back against keeping Bouaddi as a right-back option

According to Sam Lee of The Athletic, Bouaddi is a player Manchester City are “looking at and admire,” with club officials currently considering how best to proceed with a potential move for the 18-year-old.

It is explained that should City secure the Moroccan’s signature this summer, officials have considered loaning him back to Lille for the 2026-27 season, but have also weighed up the alternative of keeping him at the Etihad Stadium and finding a way to give him minutes.

Bouaddi is said to be regarded as a “very talented but also raw midfielder”, with the potential to be deployed at right-back under Enzo Maresca – a consideration that has gained relevance given City’s search for a new player in that position is understood to have proven difficult so far this summer.

What would a positional switch mean for Bouaddi and Man City?

The prospect of converting a naturally central midfielder into a right-back is not without precedent under City’s recent footballing leadership, with the club having long valued versatility and tactical intelligence over rigid positional definition in their recruitment.

For Maresca, the appeal is clear – a young, technically accomplished player capable of contributing in midfield while also offering cover and competition in an area of the squad that has proven stubbornly difficult to address through the conventional market this summer.

Whether City ultimately pursue Bouaddi as an immediate squad option or revert to the loan-back structure previously reported remains to be seen, but the very fact the club are weighing a positional reinvention underlines both the regard in which the teenager is held and the flexibility Viana is willing to explore as he reshapes the squad at the Etihad Stadium.