Arsenal Transfer News Today: Ayyoub Bouaddi hope as stunning agreement reached

Updated: 18 Jul 2026 18:52 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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All the latest Arsenal transfer news in one place, including updates on Ayyoub Bouaddi, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.

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Bouaddi cause not lost yet

According to Ben Jacobs, Man City have made progress on the potential signing of Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi.

However, a deal is not done yet, and Lille would prefer a different formula to the one currently being offered. Man City want to sign the 18-year-old immediately, but the Ligue 1 club are determined to keep him until 2027.

City have been told that they must pay €100 million to sign him this summer. The package is lower for suitors willing to loan him back. By agreeing to this, Arsenal would not only make a more compelling case to Lille than Man City, but they would also save money.

Rogers set for Chelsea

Arsenal are set to miss out to Chelsea on the signing of Aston Villa superstar Morgan Rogers, according to The Athletic.

The Blues have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa on a deal worth €138m and personal terms with Rogers are also in place. The England forward will sign a six-year contract with the option for a further season.

Rogers is expected to undergo his medical on Monday. New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso was "instrumental" in convincing the 23-year-old to snub Arsenal for a club without European football.

Lacroix interest?

Arsenal have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, CaughtOffside claims.

The France international is a key target for the Blues, and some reports in his home country have claimed that a move to Stamford Bridge is already secured. However, this is not thought to be true, with Palace insisting that no deal has been struck for Lacroix.

This has allowed Arsenal to explore a potential move for the centre-back in the wake of William Saliba's back injury, which is expected to keep him out of action for several months. Palace are demanding as much as €70m for him.

In-house Saliba replacement?

In order to save money, Arsenal could also turn to Cristhian Mosquera as an in-house replacement for William Saliba.

The Spanish youngster did a good job when drafted in for Saliba at the start of last season, and he will be determined to once again show that he is a very good Premier League defender.

According to data analytics firm SciSports, Mosquera is already among the top 10 centre-backs in the world. Helping his development by giving him more regular minutes could be a shrewder decision than spending big on Lacroix or Ezri Konsa.