Man City close in on Ayyoub Bouaddi as Tuesday transfer gossip rolls in
Manchester City are closing in on signing Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18, from Lille, according to a transfer gossip round-up published on 2026-08-10. Lille value the Morocco midfielder at 100m euros (£85m).
The round-up also reports Real Madrid's interest in World Cup-winning Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 25, from Premier League champions Arsenal, and a string of other approaches across Europe involving players from Arsenal, Bayern Munich and PSG. Multiple outlets linked Arsenal forwards Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli with moves, while Barcelona and Tottenham have both made enquiries to Bayern Munich over England striker Harry Kane, 33.
Manchester City's reported pursuit of Bouaddi is the lead story, with the Guardian cited for the claim that Lille value the teenager at 100m euros (£85m). The item identifies Bouaddi as an 18-year-old Morocco midfielder currently at Lille.
Real Madrid are named in reports as pursuing Zubimendi, and the same coverage says the club remain interested in Inter Milan and Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni, 27, and Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, 22, as they seek three more summer signings. Those targets are listed in the Fichajes report cited by the round-up.
Arsenal-related links include a La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Arsenal and Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus, 29, is open to a move to Napoli this summer and a Mirror report that AS Roma have held initial talks with representatives of Gabriel Martinelli, 25. Both items were included among the day's transfer rumours.
Other approaches recorded in the round-up include Barcelona and Tottenham having recent enquiries to Bayern Munich about Harry Kane, 33, and Manchester City being aware of Nottingham Forest interest in their Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 28, who was signed from AC Milan last summer for £46m. The Kane item is attributed to Teamtalk and the Reijnders detail to Sky Sports.
The bulletin additionally lists Bradley Barcola, 23, as having given the green light to Liverpool despite Arsenal making a late move and being valued at about £130m (Sun); Marseille and Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 31, as having turned down Newcastle (Talksport); Manchester United strongly considering RB Leipzig and Germany defender David Raum, 28, after failing to sign England left-back Lewis Hall, 21, from Newcastle (Teamtalk); and a series of Monday items including Tottenham and England defender Djed Spence, 26, linked with Inter Milan, reports of Jamie Vardy, 39, being of interest to West Ham, West Ham talks with Arsenal over Reiss Nelson, 26, Hull City having a bid rejected for Zan Vipotnik, 24, Sunderland's Arthur Masuaku, 32, finalising a move to Konyaspor, Atletico Madrid launching a 35m euro (£30m) bid for Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 21, and Napoli reopening talks with Chelsea over Benoit Badiashile, 25.
The stories in the round-up collectively reflect ongoing transfer activity reported across multiple outlets, with the various approaches and negotiations taking place during the summer transfer period.
