Juventus are ready to go back in for Rayan Aït-Nouri in January, and this time they want Man City’s forgotten left-back on loan, with Barcelona also keeping an eye on the Algeria international.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Serie A giants have revived the interest they showed in the summer, when City had no intention of letting him go. Spanish outlet Sport adds that Barcelona are keen too, because Alejandro Balde could leave the Catalan club in the winter window.
The 25-year-old’s situation has changed a lot since August. Manchester City have played 10 Premier League games under Enzo Maresca, and Aït-Nouri has not been given a single minute in any of them.
Why are Juventus only talking about a loan?
Money is the short answer. Juventus have very limited room to spend in January because of their settlement agreement with UEFA, so a loan is the deal they are hoping City will accept.
That is a long way from what City paid. They gave Wolves €36.8m plus bonuses for the left-back in the summer of 2025, and selling him half a season into his second year was never the plan.
He is not the only name on the list in Turin either. Gazzetta also names Lyon’s Argentina international Nicolas Tagliafico and Sporting CP’s Maxi Araujo as loan alternatives at left-back, so Juventus are not waiting on City alone.
How little has Aït-Nouri played under Maresca?
Four appearances, all of them in the Champions League or the Carabao Cup, adding up to 168 minutes. He has made three assists in that time, which is a decent return for someone who barely gets on the pitch.
The bigger problem is where Maresca sees him. Teenager Kaden Braithwaite came on at full-back ahead of him at Crystal Palace, and when Josko Gvardiol came off against Porto, Abdukodir Khusanov moved to left-back for the second half instead. Aït-Nouri did come on in that game, but further forward, and Maresca said afterwards that he saw him more as a winger than a full-back.
Weeks later the manager said Aït-Nouri was competing with the full-backs, yet the minutes still have not come, and he has been left out of several matchday squads. With Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly back from injury, the left side of City’s team is more crowded than ever.
The United approach that never happened
There was already a failed deadline-day approach in the summer involving a possible move to Manchester United, and United’s interest came back this month, when personal terms were said to be no issue. A move across the city was always going to be the hardest one to agree, which makes a loan to Italy or Spain a far simpler conversation.
He was also left out of the Algeria squad for this international break, with the national coach explaining why City’s unused left-back had been overlooked.
Should Man City let Aït-Nouri go in January?
Yes, and the sooner it is sorted the better for everyone. A player with three assists in 168 minutes is not finished, he is just in the wrong system, and sitting in the stands until the summer only knocks his value further below that €36.8m.
A loan to Juventus would put him back in a big team every week and give City a shop window. If Barcelona get serious because of the Balde situation, City may even get the kind of deal that lets them recover a good chunk of their money. What they cannot do is leave him where he is.
