Chelsea join Arsenal in €60m race for World Cup star 'happy' with transfer talk

15 Jun 2026 11:13 BST | 5 min read

Xabi Alonso Mikel Arteta Chelsea — © IMAGO

Matthew Judge | Editor

Chelsea have joined Arsenal in the race to sign World Cup sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to talkSPORT.

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Bouaddi enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a wonderful performance in Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Brazil on Saturday.

The 18-year-old has developed a reputation as one of the most promising midfielders in the world since emerging through Lille’s youth system in 2023.

STATS

Ayyoub Bouaddi

M, DM (C)

Lille

Ayyoub Bouaddi

M, DM (C)

Lille

42

Games
0

Goals
1

Assists

Such was Bouaddi’s pre-World Cup form for Lille that The Times reported in May that Arsenal had earmarked him as a potential summer signing.

And now talkSPORT understands Chelsea, as well as Liverpool, want to sign Bouaddi, who the same publication claims is valued at €60million (£51.8m).

Transfers specialist Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that Liverpool have been tracking the teen sensation for several months.

And when asked about the transfer talk surrounding his name, Bouaddi told The Athletic he is “happy” to know Europe’s elite are watching him.

He said to The Athletic after the Brazil match: “For the moment, I am only focused on the World Cup and I cannot answer to this (transfer speculation) right now.

“Of course, I’m really happy to know that some clubs are interested in me. But, for now, I’m only focused on the World Cup with Morocco and we will try to give everything to do our best.”

However, Lille president Olivier Letang said at the start of June that the club will only allow Bouaddi to leave if they receive a massive offer for his services, saying €50m (£43.2m) is “not enough”.

In quotes carried by French publication RMC Sport, Letang said: “We'll talk about it (transfer speculation) with Ayyoub. To be very sincere, it had also been the subject of our discussions. We have very, very, very regular exchanges with Ayyoub. The idea for us is to keep him.”

And when asked whether €50m would be enough to land Bouaddi, Letang added: “No, that's not enough. When I say extraordinary it's something extraordinary. Here we are far from the amount that would allow us to let Ayyoub go.

“Bouaddi has extended his contract until 2029, so he has three years left. He is 18 years old and [somewhere] he is sure to be a starter in a team that plays [in] the Champions League.”

Cucurella set to leave Chelsea after €60m deal agreed with Real Madrid

Chelsea meanwhile are set to receive €60m (£51.8m) from Real Madrid for Marc Cucurella, according to The Athletic, after the two clubs agreed a deal on the eve of Sunday’s World Cup action.

Before Xabi Alonso’s appointment in May, Spain international Cucurella had previously expressed his concern over the direction Chelsea were heading in following the sacking of Enzo Maresca in January.

In an interview with The Athletic in March, the left-back said: “The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season…”

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