Ayyoub Bouaddi: United ramp up their pursuit of wonderkid

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The Peoples Person

4 July 2026

Manchester United

have been forced to look beyond the Premier League as they ramp up their search for Casemiro’s successor.

INEOS always favoured a Premier League-proven option to replace the

Brazilian

, but they have failed to land any of their top three targets:

Elliot Anderson

Sandro Tonali

, and

Mateus Fernandes

Bournemouth’s

Alex Scott

is the backup option, but the Cherries have

raised his asking price

, making it difficult for the Red Devils to seal the deal.

With

Michael Carrick

demanding three new signings to revamp the midfield, the co-owners have been forced to change their stance, with

Ayyoub Bouaddi

of Lille emerging as the

new primary target

In fact, so enamoured are the 20-time English league champions that they have

muscled their way to the top of the queue

for the 18-year-old.

And for good reason, with the Morocco international shining bright at the World Cup. With plenty of teams in the fray, the midfielder’s parent club have

laid out their demands

as well.

As relayed by

, the French side will agree to a cut-price sale in case the wonderkid is loaned back to them for one more season.

Or else, they will demand £86 million to let their talisman leave. It is well known that United need reinforcements in the middle of the park urgently, while a few of their league rivals are open to loaning

back to Lille.

Despite this,

Sky Sports

have revealed that United have made further checks on the wonderkid as they gear up for a possible bid in the near future.

“United are believed to have made further checks on Lille and Morocco midfielder Bouaddi this week as the 18-year-old continues to impress at the World Cup and prepares for a last-16 meeting with Canada on Saturday.”

Whether INEOS actually submit a bid for

, after opting against matching a similar fee for Mateus Fernandes, remains to be seen.

Despite his young age, the Morocco international has shown he is more than ready to step up and now, the ball is in United’s court.

Feature image Christof Koepsel via Getty Images

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