World Cup stars like Ayyoub Bouaddi ignite £150m summer spending

Manchester City have completed the £86 million signing of 18‑year‑old Ayyoub Bouaddi, the Morocco midfielder who impressed at the World Cup, confirming the club’s summer spending spree.

Bouaddi's £86m Manchester City switch

Born in northern France to Moroccan migrants, Bouaddi entered Lille’s academy early and signed professional terms at fifteen, a testament to the club’s reputation for developing talents such as Carlos Baleba and Leny Yoro.

He made his senior debut three days after his 16th birthday in a Conference League match against KI, becoming the youngest ever player to appear in a UEFA men’s club competition, and at 17 he played the full 90 minutes as Lille beat Real Madrid 1‑0 in the Champions League, completing 43 of 44 passes.

During the World Cup, Bouaddi featured in Morocco’s opening game against Brazil, completing more than 90 percent of his passes and remaining a key figure as the Atlas Lions reached the quarter‑finals, a performance that convinced Manchester City to act.

While joining City, Bouaddi will continue his remote mathematics degree, balancing elite football with academic study – a challenge he has embraced since school, when he won a public‑speaking competition in front of France’s first lady.

Other World Cup stars' summer moves

Inter have paid around £26 million to bring England’s Djed Spence from Tottenham Hotspur, rewarding his increasingly influential role in England’s run to the World Cup semi‑finals; he joins fellow Englishmen Curtis Jones and John Stones at the Italian club.

Jonathan David, after a disappointing season at Juventus, secured a season‑long loan to Atletico Madrid; the Canadian striker, who scored a World Cup hat‑trick on home soil and amassed 109 goals in 232 Lille appearances, hopes to rediscover form following a goalless run of sixteen league games.

Rodri has swapped Manchester City for Barcelona in a £65 million deal, completing the midfielder’s move after the World Cup and ending his tenure at the English champions.