Manchester City Close to Signing Rayan Ait-Nouri as Left-Back
Manchester City is pursuing a deal to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri during the summer transfer window, and all parties involved in the negotiations expect the transfer to go through. The left-back position has been a weak spot for Pep Guardiola’s side since he took over at the Etihad in 2016, with the Spaniard often turning to conventional centre-backs like Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake to play in that role.
According to sources, Ait-Nouri will be City’s first-choice left-back next season after spending the last four years at Wolves. The 21-year-old has caught the eye of several top clubs, including Liverpool, but it seems Manchester City are now in pole position to sign him. Former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, who was previously a coach at Liverpool, is a big fan of Ait-Nouri, whose departure from Wolves would see his former club receive a significant sum of money.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, O’Neil praised Ait-Nouri’s skills, saying: “I love Rayan. He’s mad, firstly, and you can see he’s mad in the way he plays. He does five or six Maradona walks a game, which you don’t see from every left-back. We’re trying to take some of that out of him, but use them when he needs them.” O’Neil also highlighted Ait-Nouri’s potential for improvement, stating: “We’ve improved his fitness levels, and he’s one that you can improve. I don’t think he’s done too much work on understanding the tactical side of the game.”
Ait-Nouri had been linked with a possible move to Liverpool as well, but the Reds ultimately settled on Milos Kerkez as their No.1 left-back target during the offseason. Kerkez has given the green light to joining Liverpool as the club looks to tie up its main business early on in the summer. The Hungarian emerged as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League during the 2024-25 campaign, and has been linked with a move to Anfield since last year.
Andy Robertson has endured a difficult season on an individual level and is likely to occupy a back-up role next term, while Kostas Tsimikas could leave Anfield to make way for Kerkez. Kerkez has told Liverpool that he wants to join the club, and personal terms are not expected to be an issue. The only thing that needs to be sorted now is an agreement over a fee between Liverpool and Bournemouth.
As reported by Yahoo Sports, several players are on Liverpool’s radar, with Bayer Leverkusen pair Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz two more players who are expected to move to Anfield. Meanwhile, Manchester City are close to securing Ait-Nouri’s services, and it will be interesting to see how the left-back situation plays out for both clubs next season.
The signing of Ait-Nouri would be a major coup for Manchester City, who have been struggling to find a consistent left-back option for some time. With Pep Guardiola at the helm, City are always looking to improve their squad and add depth to their title-winning team. As Yahoo Sports reports, all parties involved expect Ait-Nouri to make the move to the Etihad, and it will be exciting to see how he performs in a top-tier team next season.
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