Manchester City have opened talks over a deal for an "incredible" defender, who is now high up their list of targets, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Man City set sights on new full-backs
Pep Guardiola's rebuild got underway during the January transfer window, with Kyle Walker being shipped out on loan to AC Milan to make way for Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes, while Nico O'Reilly has come into the fold on the opposite side of the defence.
It was an impressive debut campaign on a personal level for O'Reilly, who rotated with Josko Gvardiol at left-back, with the Englishman picking up five goals and two assists in all competitions, and Guardiola has praised Nunes for his defensive performances.
However, there have been suggestions the manager is now looking to upgrade his options at full-back, having identified Newcastle United's Tino Livramento as a priority target for the summer.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match Related
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City may have an opportunity to sign an attacker in a stunning swap deal, with Pep Guardiola known to be an admirer.
Livramento is not the only Premier League defender of interest to Man City either, with Romano recently taking to X to reveal they have now opened talks over a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Ait-Nouri is now believed to be "high" on City's list of targets at left-back, and having now submitted an enquiry, talks are expected to continue as we approach the summer transfer window.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Rayan Ait-Nouri in action
There may be competition for the defender's signature, however, with Liverpool also being named as potential suitors earlier this month, at which point it was revealed that Wolves could look to hold out for a fee of £51m.
"Incredible" Ait Nouri impressing at Wolves
The Algerian was one of Wolves' most consistent performers in the Premier League throughout the 2024-25 campaign, averaging a 6.95 WhoScored match rating, the second-highest in the squad, proving himself to be both solid defensively and a threat going forward.
Indeed, the 23-year-old is impressive at both ends of the pitch, as showcased by the fact he has regularly chipped in with goals over the past year, while also ranking highly for tackles per 90, when compared to other full-backs.
Statistic Average per 90
Non-penalty goals 0.12 (88th percentile)
Assists 0.20 (84th percentile)
Successful take-ons 1.82 (97th percentile)
Tackles 2.58 (82nd percentile)
As such, the France-born defender is able to play in a number of different positions, according to former manager Gary O'Neil, who said: “I’m enjoying working with Rayan, I think he’s an incredible talent, a great guy and he brings a real enthusiasm and life to the place. We can use him anywhere so, unfortunately, at the moment we have to because we don’t have many others.
"But he is talented enough when we roll him in and play him in midfield a few times and we played him as a right 10 in the second half today."
Guardiola will no doubt be pleased by O'Reilly's emergence as a first-team regular, but should the manager decide to sign another left-back, Ait-Nouri has proven he could be a brilliant option.