Juventus’s search for a left-sided reinforcement has come back to Rayan Aït-Nouri. According to reports based on La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri have renewed contact with the entourage of the Manchester City defender, whom they had already targeted in the summer, with a view to the January window.
Minutes Are the Problem at City
The 25-year-old Algeria international has barely featured under Enzo Maresca this season. Reports put him at two appearances and 105 minutes in 2026-27: fifteen in the Champions League against Porto and ninety in the League Cup against Norwich. He had not played a minute in the Premier League at the time of those reports.
Gazzetta’s account is that Aït-Nouri was already worried about his lack of minutes in August and was open to Juventus at that stage. Those concerns have since been borne out.
What Happened in the Summer
Juventus tried to sign him late in the summer window, offering a loan with an option to buy, and Manchester City rejected the proposal. Manchester United also made a late enquiry, which collapsed over the structure of the deal. City wanted a loan with an obligation to buy, a condition United were unwilling to accept.
January: A Loan, With Other Options Alive
The idea now is to bring the left-back to Turin in January on a temporary formula. Reports describe him as the priority, with Massara and Carnevali monitoring how his situation evolves. A separate October report, which I could only see in snippet form, said other names were also in play, including Araujo.
Why It Matters
The pursuit follows directly from the problem Tuttosport set out last week: left-back is one of two uncovered areas, alongside the true number 9. Çelik can play there but is only just back, Cambiaso has been inconsistent, and McKennie has had to be used in the position. A loan would also fit the constraints Carnevali described at the shareholders’ meeting, since the UEFA agreement limits what the club can spend. Raum of Leipzig and Rennes’s Nagida, both discussed earlier, remain the alternatives.
