Liverpool among 12 clubs to have scouted £40m teenage Ligue 1 starlet; sale seems inevitable | OneFootball

Liverpool are among a dozen clubs understood to be monitoring one of the most sought-after young players in European football.

Last month, TEAMtalk reported that the Reds and several other Premier League sides had sent scouts to watch teenage Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who turned 18 at the start of October and is now able to transfer outside of his native France.

The youngster is coveted by numerous suitors throughout Europe, as reported by Mark Brus for The Daily Briefing on Friday.

Liverpool among 12 clubs monitoring Bouaddi

Liverpool are among six English clubs monitoring the teenager, along with Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Brighton. From the continent, AC Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are all watching him.

It’s claimed that Lille don’t want to sell Bouaddi just yet, but it’s ‘inevitable that they’ll have to before too long’, and it’s understood that the Ligue 1 side would entertain offers in the region of €40m-€45m (£35.2m-£39.6m).

(Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

What qualities could Bouaddi bring to Liverpool?

Primarily a central midfielder, the 18-year-old can also play as a number 6 or 10 if required, and he’s already made 67 appearances for Lille’s first team despite his tender age (Transfermarkt).

A scouting report by Breaking The Lines detailed a number of standout strengths from the teenager, including his composure in possession, excellent passing range, unrelenting desire to show for the ball and astute dribbling ability.

One area where Bouaddi definitely has room for improvement, though, is in terms of his attacking impact – he’s yet to score at senior level and has supplied only three assists, numbers which are rather low for a midfield player.

When Arne Slot has his full complement of midfielders available, competition for starting berths is intense, so the Lille youngster would have to be prepared to battle for a place in the team if he were to end up at Anfield in the coming months.

However, given the quantity and profile of clubs who’ve been watching his progress, it’s clear to see that the 18-year-old has an immensely high ceiling, and Liverpool would be wise to keep their hat in the ring for him for as long as they plausibly have a chance of landing him.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Aston Villa press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: