Richard Hughes told he'd need to spend €100m to bring World Cup sensation to Liverpool

Richard Hughes has his work cut out for him at Liverpool before he jumps ship and makes the switch to Al-Hilal.

The Englishman has had a bit of a questionable reign as the Reds' sporting director but, since he's now entered the final year of his current deal, it's hardly a surprise to see him being linked with a move elsewhere.

The former Bournemouth director spent a whopping £450 million on new players for Liverpool last summer and, even though most people thought these moves would make them one of the best teams in the world, that was far from the case.

And, now that the next summer transfer window is upon us, it's looking like the Reds are going to have to spend even more money to get them back level with their title rivals.

Since the transfer market is so inflated at the moment, it's unclear what Liverpool's team will look like but, they have now been told that, in order to bring one of their targets to L4 this summer, they're going to have to fork out at least €100 million (£85.7 million).

Lille have set a €100m price tag for Ayyoub Bouaddi

Ayyoub Bouaddi is a name that most Liverpool fans will have only heard of due to his performances at the 2026 World Cup.

Before the tournament kicked off, it was unclear which country the 18-year-old was going to choose at international level as he qualified for both France and Morocco.

In the end, Morocco won the race which resulted in the youngster being called up to their World Cup squad.

Since then, the 18-year-old has been setting the tournament alight and has proved on more than one occasion that he can stand his ground with some of the best players in the world.

Bouaddi's recent performances have led to several clubs, including Liverpool, being linked with a move for him and now, a fresh report from La Gazzetta dello Sport has detailed exactly how much Lille want for their wonderkid.

"He's the big surprise of the World Cup. Lille has set a price tag: €100 million," they wrote.

"With Morocco making inroads, he has an even greater chance of making a splash, and that's a good thing for him and for the French club, which is fueling the bidding and hoping to pull off a major coup.

"For now, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Bayern are interested in Bouaddi. For Italian clubs, he's out of reach at that price."

Ayyoub Bouaddi would be a massive risk for Liverpool at €100m

Bouaddi is undoubtedly an exceptional player.

The fact that the Moroccan has been playing Ligue 1 football since he was 16 years old proves how special of a player he actually is.

However, the 2025-26 season was when the midfielder really came into his own.

He's been used as a number six, a number eight and a right-back this term but, no matter where he has been used, he's put in rather impressive performances.

During this season alone he featured 42 times across all competitions for Lille and, even though he only got one assist across the campaign, his defensive work was top notch.

And, since the Reds already have some top-class attacking talent, solidifying their defence should be their main objective this summer, especially with how badly Ryan Gravenberch has played this term.

However, since Bouaddi is only 18 years old, €100 million feels like a huge amount of money to be spending on on him.

It would be a massive risk from Andoni Iraola and Hughes but, if it worked out, they could secure their number six for the next decade, so, whether that risk is worth it or not is down to them, here's hoping Liverpool's fans get an answer soon.