Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves
Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves(Image: Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images)
Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri as they seek to strike quickly in the summer transfer window.
City have agreed a deal with AC Milan for midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and now Ait-Nouri is expected to follow suit. The Algeria international is set to join in a deal worth around £33million.
Both deals are expected to be wrapped up in the coming days meaning the pair will be available for the Club World Cup which starts next week. The initial transfer window shuts on Tuesday, before it re-opens later in the month.
City are keen to wrap up the bulk of their business swiftly this summer and retain an interest in Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki.
It remains to be seen if firm offers go in for that pair but the addition of Reijnders and Ait-Nouri represents a strong start to the summer business.
Both could slot straight into a first choice City line-up and the duo could be in the team for the Club World Cup opener with Al Wydd on Wednesday, June 18.
City are taking the competition seriously with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak stating in his annual interview with club media last week that he wanted the competition to kickstart a new campaign after a season of relative struggles at home and abroad in 2024-25.
With that in mind, Ait-Nouri and Reijjnders are certain to be handed match minutes with their new team-mates as they bed in to life in blue.
Ait-Nouri could become first choice at left back, allowing Josko Gvardiol to occupy the centre half position having played in his natural role in the closing weeks of last term. Ruben Dias would play alongside the Croatian while Mathues Nunes could remain at right back with City still seeking a permanent solution to what has been a problem position. Rico Lewis offers another alternative.
Reijnders is more of a number eight than a direct replacement for Kevin De Bruyne and he could be paired with the fit-again Rodri, allowing Phil Foden to play in the number 10 role. Omar Marmoush and Erling Haaland could occupy two of the front three roles while Jeremy Doku has probably furthered his cause the most in recent months to play wide on the right.
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