City Shell Out Record £86m for Lille Teen Bouaddi

So, the 18-year-old is locked in until summer 2031. Five-year deal. Makes him the priciest teenage signature in Premier League history. Hands down. This deal absolutely dwarfs the £58.9m Manchester United threw at Leny Yoro a couple of years back. Sky Sports says so.

Bouaddi, supposedly, tore it up for Morocco at the last World Cup. Specifically, he apparently turned some heads in a group-stage scrap against Brazil. His physicality. His positioning. Even against veterans like Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes, he reportedly looked the part.

City, naturally, are 'rebuilding' their midfield. That's code for: Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Tijjani Reijnders are out the door. Club director Hugo Viana, predictably, gushed about Bouaddi's "football intelligence" and his "potential". Of course he did. Manager Enzo Maresca? His job now is apparently to turn this kid into something. Good luck.

Bouaddi's a defensive midfielder. You know the type: snaps at ankles, recovers balls, keeps things ticking over. Don't expect him bagging goals. He'll rock the No. 6 shirt, which he, quite rightly, views as critical to the whole team's equilibrium. Oh, and the kid himself? He's already calling City "the best club in the world." Standard. Pledged to "challenge for trophies at the Etihad." We'll see about that.