Rayan Ait-Nouri could leave Manchester City in January, with Juventus expected to revive their interest and Napoli also said to be keen on his situation.
Ait-Nouri's current situation at Manchester City
Rayan Ait-Nouri is a left-back for Manchester City and an Algeria international. Manchester City paid €36.8m plus bonus to sign him from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2025.
This season, Ait-Nouri has made only four appearances for Manchester City, all of them coming in the Champions League or Carabao Cup. He has started two Carabao Cup ties and come off the bench in two UEFA Champions League matches.
Across 168 minutes of football for Manchester City this season, Ait-Nouri has contributed three assists, but he has not played a minute in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca is the coach of Manchester City. It is reported that Ait-Nouri does not appear to be part of Maresca’s plans at the club, and that Maresca does not have a role for Ait-Nouri in his squad.
Enzo Maresca trialled Ait-Nouri on a wing during Manchester City’s preseason tour of Asia.
Juventus interest and left-back options
Juventus are expected to revive their pursuit of Ait-Nouri in the January transfer window. It was not secret that Juventus had attempted to sign Ait-Nouri over the summer, but at that time Manchester City had no intention of parting with him.
Juventus are hoping that a loan deal for Ait-Nouri can be on the table in January, as they have very limited resources due to their UEFA settlement agreement.
La Gazzetta dello Sport has mentioned other alternatives for a left-back loan for Juventus, naming Lyon’s Argentina international Nicolas Tagliafico and Maxi Araujo at Sporting CP.
Napoli's interest and possible January exit routes
Sacha Tavolieri has reported for Sky Sports that Ait-Nouri is pushing for a January move away from Manchester City.
Sacha Tavolieri also reports that Juventus and Napoli have expressed an interest in signing Ait-Nouri.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, Manchester City would prefer to let Ait-Nouri depart in a permanent deal in January.
It is reported that it is considered difficult for Juventus or Napoli to satisfy Manchester City’s demands to sell Ait-Nouri.
Sacha Tavolieri reports that a paid loan in January which includes a buy option may be the only option for Ait-Nouri to secure a move to either Juventus or Napoli.
