Barcelona Monitoring Manchester City Defender Amid Ongoing Uncertainty Over Future

Barcelona Monitoring Manchester City Defender Amid Ongoing Uncertainty Over Future Is there any hope for Rayan Ait-Nouri at Manchester City? More Videos Rayan Aït-Nouri arrived at Manchester City as one of the Premier League’s most exciting left-backs, but his time at the Etihad Stadium has not gone to plan under either of the two managers he has operated under. His playing time is even more scarce under Enzo Maresca than it was when Pep Guardiola prowled the touchline, and the Algerian’s future is looking increasingly likely to be resolved in the coming January market rather than at the end of the season. Rayan Aït-Nouri’s situation has not gone unnoticed on the continent, and the full-back now finds himself on the radar of several of European football’s heavyweights, including arguably the favourites for the UEFA Champions League title. Fresh links to one of the world’s most prestigious sides have once again raised the prospect of a winter move away from the Etihad Stadium for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man. According to Spanish outlet Sport , Barcelona have earmarked Rayan Aït-Nouri as a potential option should Alejandro Balde leave the club during the upcoming winter transfer window. Manchester City themselves have been credited in Spanish media with a supposed interest in Balde in recent weeks, giving the two clubs an unexpected overlap in their plans for the left-back position. The Catalans are claimed to see 25-year-old Aït-Nouri as a strong fit - an attacking full-back comfortable carrying the ball and combining in tight areas in the mould of Joao Cancelo - and are said to have scouted him before City won the race for his signature from Wolves, in a deal worth in excess of £30 million, in the summer of 2025. Reports in England indicate Manchester City are open to the idea of a loan exit but would prefer it to carry an obligation to buy next June, which may complicate Barcelona’s chances of landing the Algerian. The idea of a mandatory buy clause reportedly sits awkwardly with a Barcelona side wary of committing significant money for the summer. Rayan Aït-Nouri’s new agent, Ali Barat, is said to have met Barcelona sporting director Deco on several occasions in recent months as both sides study the market. Barcelona are not alone in monitoring the situation. Manchester United , who have shown interest in the defender before, and Juventus are both said to be keeping tabs on the player, ready to act if Manchester City decide to let him move on favourable terms. From City’s point of view, sanctioning an immediate sale or a well-structured loan would ease competition for places, and Nico O’Reilly and Joško Gvardiol are both clearly preferred on the left. Rayan Aït-Nouri’s situation - and, by extension, whether the club look to replace him with another left-sided defender - looks set to be one of the Blues’ talking points as the January transfer window draws nearer.