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Yesterday — 15 June 2026CaughtOffside

PSG and Arsenal will have to break Romeo Lavia record to sign rising star of World Cup

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By:Will Faulks
15 June 2026 at 18:15

Lille are set to demand a record fee for their teenage central midfielder, with Arsenal and PSG the most likely to pay it as it stands.

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The World Cup always brings big moves and plenty of rumours, and before even the first round of games has been completed one of the breakout stars of the tournament already looks to have emerged.

Morocco’s hugely impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil was the most high profile match of the competition so far, and the star of the show was sensational teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

He ran the show against the Selecao, and it’s no surprise that transfer interest in the Lille starlet has ramped up since.

Teenage talent fee could smash records

TeamTalk are reporting that Arsenal and PSG are the front runners to sign him, but it won’t come cheap.

A £60m fee would be the highest ever for a teenage central midfielder, breaking the record set by Chelsea’s disastrous signing of Romeo Lavia.

Given Bouaddi’s age and potential, it would still seem like a pretty good deal. If he keeps playing well at the World Cup and Morocco go far in the tournament, the number could climb even higher.

In other news…

Ismael Saibari is closing in on a move to join Bayern Munich, with a medical set to take place in the USA in the coming days.

Chelsea are going to make a number of signings this summer – but Alex Scott won’t be one of them if you listen to quotes from sources close to the club.

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Before yesterdayCaughtOffside

Positive talks held: Arsenal confident of signing €70m star, deal could accelerate after World Cup

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By:Mark Brus
13 June 2026 at 12:29

Arsenal are reportedly confident of beating Paris Saint-Germain to the transfer of Lille midfield wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The Gunners have held initial positive talks with Bouaddi’s entourage, and the player seems to be enthusiastic about Mikel Arteta’s project.

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That’s according to Sky’s Sacha Tavolieri, who also suggests that Arsenal’s talks over Bouaddi will accelerate after his participation with Morocco at the 2026 World Cup.

The report suggests Arsenal have done considerable work on this deal, and they’re now optimistic about their chances of signing the 18-year-old, though Lille could ask for as much as €70m.

Ayyoub Bouaddi emerging as top Arsenal midfield target

Tavolieri’s report also mentions that Arsenal are continuing to eye up Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali as another option in midfield.

Still, Bouaddi could fit the bill perfectly as he’s young enough that he wouldn’t necessarily come in to play regularly straight away.

The Gunners already have Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Myles Lewis-Skelly as options in that central midfield area, so Bouaddi might have to wait before establishing himself as an automatic starter.

The move to Arsenal could still be good for Bouaddi’s development, though, as he looks to have immense potential, so could stand to learn a lot from the elite coaching of Arteta, and from playing and training alongside world class midfielders like Rice and Zubimendi.

Could PSG win the race for Ayyoub Bouaddi?

Despite PSG also being mentioned as suitors for Bouaddi, one imagines Lille would rather sell the teenage sensation abroad if possible.

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PSG are already dominant in the French league, so Lille would do well to avoid selling such a top young player to a rival.

That could give Arsenal the advantage, but it will be interesting to see if other Premier League clubs or major European sides get involved as well.

The post Positive talks held: Arsenal confident of signing €70m star, deal could accelerate after World Cup appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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