Manchester City Break U18 Transfer Record for Ayyoub Bouaddi
Manchester City are not easing off the accelerator after Pep Guardiola’s summer departure. If anything, they are pushing harder.
Barely weeks after spending €135 million on Elliot Anderson, City have gone even bigger, confirming the capture of Lille sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi in a deal worth €100m – €95m guaranteed, plus €5m in add-ons. The 18-year-old has signed a five-year contract that runs until 2031.
Bouaddi arrives as one of the standout young performers of the summer, having impressed for Morocco at the World Cup. His rise has been rapid; his price tag, astonishing. City, though, see him as a centrepiece for their next era.
In the club’s announcement, Bouaddi did not hide what the move means to him: “Manchester City are, for me, the best Club in the world. It’s a dream to be here and be able to call myself a City player. I have spent most of my life working hard to become the best player I can be and reach the top of the game."
This is not just another big-money deal. It comes in the wake of a seismic sale. City have already cashed in on 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who joined Barcelona last week in a transfer worth €76.5m including add-ons. One midfield pillar departs; another, far younger, walks through the door.
On paper, Bouaddi’s current market value sits around €80m. In this summer’s overheated market, though, the expectation was clear: to prise him from Lille, a fee close to nine figures would be needed. City met it without blinking.
A record not just broken, but destroyed
The Bouaddi deal does more than set a new benchmark for teenage transfers. It dwarfs everything that came before.
At €100m, the Morocco international becomes the most expensive U18 player in history by a huge margin. The previous record, also involving Lille, belonged to Leny Yoro, whose move to Manchester United in 2024/25 cost €62m. That figure now looks modest by comparison and slides into second place.
Behind them, the list reads like a who’s who of the game’s next generation. Endrick sits third. Chelsea’s Estêvão follows in fourth. Real Madrid, long addicted to elite youth, dominate the rest of the upper tier, having brought in Franco Mastantuono, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo for €45m each when they were 18.
Further down, Tottenham’s €41.4m signing of Archie Gray from Leeds takes eighth spot. Alessandro Bastoni’s move to Inter slots in at ninth. Wolves’ €40m outlay on Fábio Silva rounds out the current top 10.
That surge has consequences for older benchmarks. Luke Shaw’s €37.5m switch from Southampton to Manchester United in 2014, once a landmark fee for a teenager, has finally been nudged out of the elite bracket after 12 years.
The landscape has shifted again. City have paid a premium to secure Bouaddi, betting €100m that an 18-year-old can help anchor a midfield rebuilt in the shadow of Rodri’s exit. If they are right, this record may stand for a while. If they are wrong, it will become the latest symbol of a market that no longer knows how to slow down.
