Man City Close to £31m Deal for Ait-Nouri

Manchester City are set to sign Wolves’ left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri in a £31 million agreement that includes £5 million in performance-based bonuses. The 24-year-old is expected to complete a medical over the weekend.

Timing is a factor, with City aiming to finalise the move before 10 June, which would allow Ait-Nouri to feature in the Club World Cup group stage.

Having lacked a recognised left-back since Benjamin Mendy’s exit in 2021, Pep Guardiola has turned to the Algeria international to address the position. Past options included Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, and Josko Gvardiol, with youngster Nico O’Reilly filling in during last season’s FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.

Ait-Nouri originally arrived at Molineux on loan from Angers, before signing permanently in 2021 for £14.9m. This past season, he featured in 41 competitive matches, contributing five goals and seven assists—helping Wolves retain Premier League status.

He will be Wolves’ second major sale this window, following Matheus Cunha’s move to Manchester United.

City have already locked in a £46.3m move for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, on top of the £200m invested during the January window.

Ait-Nouri’s production in 2023-24 stood out. With 11 goal involvements, no Premier League defender contributed more going forward. Only Leif Davis (61), Pedro Porro (57) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (53) created more chances than Ait-Nouri’s 46. Out wide, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the sole defender to complete more dribbles, with 64 compared to Ait-Nouri’s 63.

Defensively, he led all top-flight defenders in regaining possession in the final third. Only Palace’s Daniel Munoz came close.

Edu Rubio, who coached Ait-Nouri at Wolves during the 2022-23 campaign, believes Guardiola will see him as the right fit.

“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 Pep 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 down the ball speed down in a possession game that Pep 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.”