Boudaoui, possible “joker” at Monaco if sales come first

Monaco is still circling one option for the market: Hicham Boudaoui. According to L’Équipe, the club wants the Nice midfielder to arrive as a “joker” once it has completed several player sales, which is the key condition for the move to happen.

At the moment, the plan isn’t final, and it hinges on internal restructuring before Monaco can bring in a joker. The idea is to create room in the squad and free up budget by moving players out first.

The deal depends on exits

As the paper explains, Monaco’s timeline is linked to multiple departures. The expected move of Pape Cabral to Saudi Arabia is mentioned, alongside the possibility that Alexandre Golovine—and another unnamed figure from the dressing room—could also leave before Monaco looks seriously at Boudaoui.

Nice cools talk of an exit

Meanwhile, the stance from Nice has been clear. Olivier Pantaloni said this Thursday: «Today, he will be with us (still for now, he trained separately), he is ready to get back to work to be part of our group, and any idea of leaving has been dropped for the moment». In other words, Boudaoui remains with the club for now, with his status tied to Monaco’s ability to make the necessary departures.

So the “joker” link is still active, but it’s conditional: Monaco must first deliver the sales it needs, especially after the failed attempt that involved Erik Lira. Until those exits land, Boudaoui’s arrival at the Stade Louis II remains a work in progress.