Manchester City refused to allow Rayan Ait-Nouri to leave in the summer despite late interest from Manchester United, with the left-back not expected to depart in January or beyond.
According to a report by Football Insider, Manchester United had little chance of signing him despite making a late enquiry during the summer transfer window. Manchester City view the Algerian international as an important part of their plans and are not expected to entertain any approaches ahead of the January transfer window.
Manchester United completed most of their summer transfer plans, with the exception of signing a left-back. Michael Carrick wanted to bring in a new full-back to provide cover and competition for Luke Shaw. Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall was reportedly their main target for the position, but the Magpies took a strong stance and refused to entertain any approaches.
Hall has since signed a new contract, although reports suggest that the Red Devils remain interested despite the obvious challenges involved. As their pursuit of Hall cooled, Manchester United continued to consider alternative left-back options until the final stages of the transfer window.
The Rayan Ait-Nouri case
They reportedly made an approach for Ait-Nouri in an attempt to determine whether a move was possible, despite the defender playing for their fierce rivals, Manchester City. The report claims that City had no intention of allowing him to leave at that stage of the window. It also suggests that the club would not permit any of its players to join Manchester United, ruling out any move to Old Trafford.
Manchester United were not the only club interested in Ait-Nouri, with reports during the summer indicating that Juventus also admired the player. Manchester City’s stance closes the door on Ait-Nouri, with little prospect of a future exit.
Manchester City unlikely to sell Ait-Nouri
Ait-Nouri joined Manchester City from Wolves in a deal worth £31 million last year but has yet to establish himself as a regular first-team player. An injury-hit first season limited him to just 17 league appearances under Pep Guardiola, and he has made only one appearance so far this term, coming off the bench in the Champions League.
Another report from Football Insider claims that Manchester City have no plans to consider an exit during the January transfer window and are expected to maintain their firm stance. At present, he is the only recognised left-back in the squad on paper, although he is currently behind Nico O’Reilly and Josko Gvardiol in the pecking order.
Enzo Maresca still believes he has an important role to play during the long season ahead, with opportunities expected to arise at some point. Ait-Nouri appears set to remain at the Etihad Stadium for at least the rest of the current campaign.
