Chelsea, Arsenal prepare €45M bids for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi

Two of the Premier League’s biggest spenders are circling the same teenager. Chelsea and Arsenal are each preparing bids of around €45 million to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in the January transfer window, setting up a tug-of-war over one of European football’s most coveted young midfielders.

Lille has set a minimum asking price of €70 million for the 18-year-old, which means both London clubs are opening negotiations roughly €25 million short of the door price.

The bidding war that’s already underway

Arsenal already submitted an increased offer of €60 million in June, and Lille rejected that too. The gap between what buyers want to pay and what Lille wants to receive has been the defining feature of this saga.

It’s not just a two-horse race. PSG, Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Juventus have all expressed interest in the Moroccan international.

Lille knows exactly what it’s doing. This is the same club that sold Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal for €80 million back in 2019, which remains the club’s record departure.

Who is Ayyoub Bouaddi?

At just 18 years old, Bouaddi has already established himself in Lille’s senior squad during the 2025/26 season, earning regular minutes in both domestic play and European competition. He represents Morocco at international level.

What this means for the January window

The arithmetic here is straightforward. Chelsea and Arsenal are offering €45 million. Arsenal already got turned down at €60 million. Lille wants at least €70 million. Unless one of the London clubs is willing to significantly increase its valuation, this deal isn’t happening in January.

For Arsenal, the fact that they already pushed to €60 million in the summer suggests genuine intent, not just window shopping.

If neither Chelsea nor Arsenal meets the asking price this winter, Lille can simply wait until summer when a broader auction among all interested parties could push the fee even higher, potentially approaching or exceeding the €80 million Pepe benchmark.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.