Record-breaking Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi is about to show why he could be the future of Liverpool’s midfield

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Liverpool face Lille on Tuesday in their first Champions League clash of 2025.

The Reds are hoping for big things in Europe this year, having put together a fantastic, six-game winning run in 2024.

That sequence of results has put them top of the Champions League table as they prepare to take on eighth-placed Lille at Anfield.

Although Liverpool will rightly be favourites to collect another three points, there is plenty to be interested in about Lille as well.

The French side have one of the best academy’s in Europe, with Leny Yoro the latest big sale made from Les Dogues youth team. Liverpool wanted Yoro but were beaten to the centre-back by Manchester United.

With Yoro gone, another 17-year-old is now emerging as the jewel in the Lille crown. And as Liverpool fans prepare to get their first look at midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, they should be mindful that it may not be their last.

Ayyoub Bouaddi ready for Anfield introduction

Yoro was seen as a generational talent coming through at Lille. The Ligue 1 club will have been disappointed to have lost him.

However, they have a long tradition of producing some brilliant players and Bouaddi looks set to be the next cab off the rank.

Despite only turning 17 in October, the midfielder has already played 39 times for the Lille first team. Bouaddi’s debut came just 20 days after his 16th birthday and he is the youngest player ever to feature in a European match.

Unsurprisingly, there have already been reports that Bouaddi has caught Liverpool’s eye, as well as just about every other top side in Europe.

READ MORE: Arne Slot set to surprise a few people with Liverpool’s Champions League line-up against Lille

A tall and rangy defensive midfielder, there is something of Ryan Gravenberch in the way the teenager moves about the pitch.

Having played the full 90 minutes of Lille’s Champions League win over Real Madrid in November, Bouaddi has already made a statement to the rest of Europe and could be about to make another at Anfield on Tuesday.

Liverpool could turn to Bouaddi

Despite the brilliance of Gravenberch this season, there is still a clear need for Liverpool to add another defensive-minded midfielder to their squad in 2025.

We think Angelo Stiller could be the perfect Arne Slot signing, but perhaps someone like Bouaddi could be even more interesting.

Only 17, there’s little chance that the France U18 international would be a regular starter straight away. But given time to develop and rotate into the starting XI, he could become something special over time.

As seen with the Yoro saga, Lille will not let any of their top youngsters go on the cheap. They know full well the value of them.

But Liverpool have money to spend and as clubs around them contend with financial restraints, the Reds should press home that advantage to secure top talents such as Bouaddi. His Anfield debut will not tell us everything about this prodigious wonderkid, but fans should keep a close eye on him this Tuesday regardless.