Liverpool target secures ‘verbal agreement’ ahead of likely £100m-plus transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City appear to be closing in on the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi this summer.

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Matteo Moretto reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the Lille midfielder has “reached a verbal agreement” with the Sky Blues.

The Reds were reported to have held meetings over the possibility of signing the Moroccan midfielder, though it appears that the club has since taken a backseat in negotiations.

Manchester City closing in on Ayyoub Bouaddi

There’s no question that the 18-year-old is already an impeccable talent, having showcased his capabilities for club and country in a remarkable 2025/26 campaign.

However, with a price-tag potentially entering the realm of nine figures for Bouaddi, we can understand why Liverpool haven’t devoted more attention to this transfer.

Bradley Barcola already looks set to leave a massive dent in our transfer kitty this summer, which probably doesn’t leave room for another signing of the £100m or so calibre. Certainly not if Liverpool wish to fix other key concerns across the squad in the same window.

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Could Liverpool rely on Trey Nyoni this season?

If Liverpool were at any point seriously considering signing Bouaddi, could the argument be made that they should be equally willing to put faith in their own young midfield sensation in Trey Nyoni?

The No.42 may not have been quite ready to make a significant splash last term under Arne Slot. However, by the Dutchman’s reportedly private admission, it seems the 19-year-old was closer to more regular first-team action than some might have thought.

Fast forward to a first pre-season under new boss Andoni Iraola, and it seems Liverpool may genuinely have a talent worth investing time and energy into this term as far as senior contributions are concerned. The Basque would appear to agree on that front, judging by comments made to LFCTV after the 1-0 victory over Wrexham.

“Yes, Trey at the end is very good on the ball, very calm,” the former Bournemouth boss said.

“He reads the situations well. We are forcing him into the work without the ball in the press, and he is absolutely doing very well. I think the timings of the jumps are very good.

“He’s always confident on the ball, so we encourage him. Sometimes, even if he loses the ball [we tell him to] try and find the 10, try to find the 9, even balls in behind, look a bit farther. He can do it, because he’s so good.”

We completely appreciate that it’s a leap to suggest Nyoni is as developed a talent as Bouaddi – the minutes and the lack of World Cup showings would indicate otherwise.

But this feels like the makings of a talent that could really blossom under Iraola’s care and guidance this season. If the coaching staff feels he has the credentials to deliver in 2026/27, we can appreciate why we might be best advised to hold off on an Ayyoub Bouaddi-type signing and reinvest our spare cash where it can make a bigger difference.

On that note, and in light of Joe Gomez now being sidelined for the start of the upcoming campaign, might we humbly suggest centre-backs, Liverpool?

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