Man City Sign Ait-Nouri in £31m Transfer Deal

Rayan Ait-Nouri has completed a £31 million switch from Wolves to Manchester City, becoming the latest addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad ahead of their Club World Cup campaign in June.

The Algeria left-back, 24, has agreed a five-year deal that will run until 2030. He is eligible to feature when City take on Wydad AC of Morocco in their tournament opener on 18 June.

Ait-Nouri arrived in English football initially on loan in 2020 before joining Wolves permanently from Angers for £14.9m the following year. Last season, he played 41 matches across all competitions, contributing five goals and seven assists as Wolves secured Premier League survival.

He becomes the second major departure from Molineux this summer, following the £62.5m sale of Brazil striker Matheus Cunha to Manchester United.

City, who spent £200m in January, have also finalised a £46.3m agreement with AC Milan to bring in Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

Speaking after sealing the move, Ait-Nouri said: “City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true. I am excited about working with and learning from Pep Guardiola and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players.”

Meanwhile, City are in talks with Chelsea about a potential deal for goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. The 33-year-old, who has spent the last four seasons as third-choice at Stamford Bridge, could arrive before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Veteran backup Scott Carson is set to leave Manchester City once his contract ends this summer.

Former Wolves staff member Edu Rubio spoke highly of Ait-Nouri’s strengths and areas for growth: “His technical competency, his ability and skill in tight areas – keeping the ball close to his feet – give him the opportunity to fit perfectly into Guardiola’s possession-based play.

“He can also dribble with speed, to get the team up the pitch driving with the ball, which is probably what Manchester City need right now – players who can break lines.

“Defensively he has improved his game since his arrival to the Premier League and his one-v-one defending is of a very good standard. He can cope physically and is a very versatile player who can operate in any position down the flank, or by playing as an inverted full-back.

“He needs to improve his decision-making on the ball – he can take one touch too many at times and slow the ball speed down in a possession game that Guardiola loves. He also needs to work on his end product in attack.

“At a club like City he will need to get his assist ratio higher, but it is something he can definitely do.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.