Wolverhampton Wanderers have already started the process of finding a new left-back, anticipating the sale of Rayan Ait-Nouri to Manchester City, according to The Telegraph.
Although a transfer fee is yet to be finalised, the Algeria international is a key target for Pep Guardiola.
Wolves previously valued the 23-year-old at around £50million, and it remains uncertain whether City will match that valuation.
Despite this, both clubs appear satisfied with ongoing negotiations, and Ait-Nouri is reportedly eager to complete the move.
The transfer is expected to be finalised in time for the Club World Cup, which begins on June 14.
Due to the tournament, the Premier League summer transfer window will open from June 1 to June 10, then close briefly before reopening on June 16 until September 1.
Wolves had planned to offer Ait-Nouri a new contract after his impressive four seasons in the Premier League.
He initially joined the club on loan from French side Angers before making the move permanent. Currently, he has two years remaining on his contract.
Angers included a 50% sell-on clause when the deal was made, which Wolves can buy out for around £9million.
It is expected that Wolves will activate this clause as a formality before finalising any transfer.
If completed, this will be Manchester City’s first signing of a specialist left-back since Joao Cancelo’s departure in 2022.
Cancelo, who initially played on the right side, spent time on loan at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before moving to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.
Ait-Nouri is seen as a player similar to Cancelo, particularly in terms of the attacking threat he offers from left-back.
Until now, Josko Gvardiol has been filling the left-back role at City, though his long-term future lies at centre-back.
Guardiola has also experimented with Nico O’Reilly in the position, but it is not his natural role. O’Reilly is more likely to develop as a No.10.
Guardiola is keen to bring in Premier League-ready players as part of this summer’s significant squad overhaul.
In January, City invested heavily in four players without prior experience in England, but so far only Omar Marmoush has featured regularly.
City had targeted Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and there was even talk of a potential swap deal involving Jack Grealish, contingent on Forest qualifying for the Champions League.
However, City are now negotiating to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon, a France Under-21 forward valued at around £35million.
They have also submitted a bid of approximately £50 million for AC Milan’s attacking midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
Meanwhile, Wolves are also preparing for a pivotal summer after selling Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, who met the £62.5 million release clause in his contract.
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