Guardiola went through most of last season without a natural option at left-back, either playing centre-back Gvardiol or even midfielder O’Reilly there
Manchester City are looking to sign Wolves full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri as part of a summer rebuild aimed at correcting last year’s mistakes in the transfer market.
While the club have yet to make a formal offer, Ait-Nouri is considered a primary target and discussions are expected to accelerate in the coming weeks.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said recently that the club were not “aggressive” enough in the transfer window last summer, which led to their struggles in the just-concluded campaign. It is a miscalculation City are determined not to repeat. With their Club World Cup campaign starting on 18 June, Khaldoon is also pushing to have the squad’s main business concluded before the tournament kicks off in the United States, saying that he wants transfers to be “very swift”.
One of Guardiola’s most pressing issues remains the left-back position. City played most of last season without a natural option there, either playing centre-back Josko Gvardiol or even midfielder Nico O’Reilly in that position.
After Gvardiol’s superb performance at centre back when he was moved back there for a period in the season, Guardiola admitted that “I like him there” and “him and Ruben [Dias] talk a lot and they are doing a really good partnership”.
Ait-Nouri can solve that problem by stepping in as a natural left-back for City. The Algeria international has been a standout performer for Wolves since joining from Angers in 2020. After initially arriving on loan, he has developed into one of the Premier League’s most technically gifted and press-resistant full-backs. His ability to drive forward and link play in tight spaces will interest Guardiola very much.
Wolves are understood to value the Algerian international at around £50 million, and while his contract runs out in 12 months, the club hold an option to extend it by a further year, which keeps them in a strong negotiating position. But given City chairman Khaldoon’s determination to go hard in this summer’s transfer window, Guardiola is very likely to have the full-back’s talent at his disposal next season.
City have also tracked Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth, but he is now tipped to join Liverpool, who view him as long-term competition for Andy Robertson. That leaves Ait-Nouri as the leading candidate to arrive at the Etihad.
