Arsenal have been hit with a record asking price as they look to add yet another top midfielder to their crop this summer. The Gunners are coming off an impressive season that saw them win the Premier League title and come within a whisker of the Champions League title.

Mikel Arteta knows his side need to improve a little to catch PSG, who clearly the best team in the world at this stage, but it is a fine balance of not disrupting an already successful team too much.

Arteta is going to want a left-winger, while depth is likely to be added up top and in the middle to anticipate possible exits like Gabriel Jesus or Christian Norgaard.

Bouaddi price tag emerges

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One potential option for Arsenal is Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has emerged as one of the most talented young midfielders in the game. The 18-year-old made 42 appearances across all competitions in the season just gone, and he never looked out of place at senior level.

Bouaddi has even won a call-up to the World Cup with Morocco this summer, and he started their opening game, which was a draw with Brazil. That Morocco team is an impressive one, too.

The combination of Bouaddi’s season and the World Cup is likely to cause the perfect storm for Lille, who could cash in this summer. According to TeamTalk, Lille actually want a world-record fee of £60million, which would be the most expensive fee ever paid for an 18-year-old should someone pay it.

Champions League finalists Arsenal and PSG are said to be the most interested clubs, and they are not dissuaded by the price tag.

Bouaddi’s rapid rise

Arsenal must carefully consider whether they want to pay £60million for Bouaddi given the depth they have in their squad, and with the depth they already have in midfield given Mikel Merino will be fully fit next season. They have bigger needs elsewhere, but if they can afford to pay big for an exciting player like Bouaddi, they may see a massive payoff in the next couple of years should he reach his potential.

The Gunners do need to sign younger to avoid massive fees, but in Bouaddi’s case, there is no real saving due to the money being asked for.

But Bouaddi may be worth the money, and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was the latest to be impressed by the youngster. He said after his World Cup debut: “At 18 years old, in his first World Cup experience, Ayyoub Bouaddi went up against Brazil and cooked their midfield like it was a Sunday kitchen session, Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães were chasing shadows most of the game. Before the World Cup ends, I believe top clubs will be lining up for his signature, because you don’t see that kind of control from someone his age, especially on that stage.”

Liverpool’s push to improve the squad in the summer transfer window has seen the club target young, exciting stars across several key positions.

The work began as early as January, when sealing a move for Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, with the 20-year-old defender set to join next month on a long-term contract.

Since then, Liverpool have stepped up interest in Yan Diomande, with the RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast star showing plenty of reasons to justify his price tag of over £100 million.

Plenty of Liverpool fans are excited about the prospect of the 19-year-old moving to Anfield and taking over from Mohamed Salah on the right flank, outlining him as one of the biggest talents for the future.

However, the Reds also seem to be pushing for a star who could be an even more exciting talent for the here and now, as well as the future.

Liverpool Push To Sign Ayyoub Bouaddi

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Liverpool’s push to rebuild the team filled with promising youngsters for the future continues, as links have emerged over a deal to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from LOSC Lille.

Reports have claimed that meetings have already been held over a possible deal to sign the 18-year-old, following his recent World Cup display for Morocco against Brazil.

There is clearly some excitement surrounding Bouaddi, as Arsenal are also credited with interest in the midfielder as a potential option for the summer transfer window.

For Liverpool, it’s a deal that makes sense in keeping with signing players with plenty of potential, while improving the current options available to Andoni Iraola.

While Diomande is certainly an exciting prospect, perhaps Bouaddi brings a little more certainty with how well his style of play may translate to the Premier League.

Ligue Un is a physically similar division to England, suggesting he can stand up to the challenge, while he already has nearly 100 appearances in senior football for Lille.

There is a mixture of experience and fearlessness that is rare in a youngster, showcasing his talent to build up from the midfield when needed.

If Liverpool get a deal over the line, then Bouaddi could be the future of the midfield for the next decade.

What Bouaddi Said About His Future

Liverpool are waiting to hear if they can land Bouaddi, as the race heats up to secure the midfielder as an impressive option at the heart of midfield.

The Reds are battling several teams, but it seems as though they will need to hold on until after Morocco’s World Cup campaign comes to an end for a response.

Speaking to The Athletic after his display for the national team against Brazil, he said on his future: “For the moment, I am only focused on the World Cup and I cannot answer to this right now.

“Of course, I’m really happy to know that some clubs are interested in me. But, for now, I’m only focused on the World Cup with Morocco and we will try to give everything to do our best.”

In the meantime, Liverpool also have interest in Alex Scott and Adam Wharton, with the midfield clearly viewed as an area for regeneration this summer.

Chelsea‘s next move is obvious following Marc Cucurella’s shock move to Real Madrid. The Spanish left-back was always a potential departee this summer amid talk of a return home, but it has shocked everyone that he has agreed to move to the Bernabeu.

Cucurella came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy system, and he has recently said he would find it hard to turn down a return to Camp Nou. But he now joins Barca’s arch-rivals, and to put it lightly, that will complicate his visits back home in Catalonia.

For Chelsea, they lose a starting left-back and one of the best in the world, no less, but they now have the opportunity to get an ideal replacement.

Chelsea must move quickly for Brown

Chelsea now have a glaring gap at left-back, but they can replace one of the world’s best with the player who could well become the next best. Nathaniel Brown looks almost certain to leave Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, and he is likely to carry a price of around £52m this summer.

That price seems to be scaring off Bayern Munich, who are very interested, but Chelsea have just pocketed £50million from the sale of Cucurella, albeit around £3.5million of that is in add-ons.

The next move should clearly be to go out and buy Brown, who is already dazzling for Germany at the World Cup, scoring in his nation’s group stage opener.

There are very few top-level left-backs on the market, and while Brown is still only 22 years of age, he is already entering that conversation. He is also an attacking full-back by nature, which is what makes him a perfect replacement for Cucurella, whose departure will mean a big loss in terms of outlet down the wing and delivery into the box.

How good is Brown?

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Brown is just coming off a season that saw him crowned Frankfurt’s Player of the Season, which is pretty rare for a 22-year-old, and especially for a left-back. Jürgen Klopp recently said of Brown: “The boy always has a full set of tools. You can rely on him blindly and he never has problems. He has a good sense of timing to get into the penalty box and feels comfortable in half-spaces,”

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig left-back David Raum, who was in competition with Brown for a World Cup spot, said: “He had an outstanding season, even though Eintracht Frankfurt struggled.”

Brown was a standout player Bundesliga-wide, and at 22 years of age, the sky seems to be the limit, which is what Chelsea will like. The Blues have focused their transfer strategy on signing young players with big upside, and few players fit better into that strategy than Brown, especially at left-back.