The left-back problem that defined and ultimately eluded Juventus’s entire summer window has not gone away — and during the international break, Carnevali, Massara, and Ottolini have moved with deliberate purpose to ensure January provides the resolution the summer could not. Juventus are ready to try for Rayan Aït-Nouri in January after his struggles to get regular playing time for Manchester City, with La Gazzetta dello Sport confirming that the bianconeri have ‘sfruttato la sosta per riaprire il canale: una nuova chiacchierata dopo quella di fine agosto’ — used the break to reopen dialogue with the player’s entourage, following a first approach at the end of August.
A Summer Pursuit That Was Blocked by Manchester City
The history of this particular chase is now well established. Aït-Nouri was on Juventus’s radar throughout the summer transfer window — evaluated alongside Tagliafico and Miranda as solutions to the left-back gap — but Manchester City refused to facilitate a departure. The player himself had expressed openness to a move to Turin, but the English club raised their wall and kept it there until the window closed.
The situation has since changed meaningfully. He has been given only two appearances this season, for a grand total of 105 minutes on the pitch — despite that, Aït-Nouri still managed to contribute an impressive three assists, including in the Champions League opener away to FC Porto. The numbers tell the story of a player of genuine quality who is being frozen out at the Etihad under Enzo Maresca’s new management — and who, with three assists in 105 minutes, has demonstrated exactly the attacking quality from full-back that Spalletti has been requesting since the summer.
The Formula — Loan with Right of Purchase, Permanent Deal in the Summer
La Juve è in pole position e punta a un prestito con diritto di riscatto — the idea would allow Juventus to reinforce the left flank without immediately facing a definitive investment. The structure maps precisely onto the pattern the club has consistently preferred throughout this transfer period: temporary commitment proportionate to achievement, with the permanent decision deferred to the summer when competitive evidence is available to justify it.
A terzino moderno, velocissimo e dotato di una spiccata propensione offensiva — his arrival would give Spalletti a solution of enormous dynamism and quality. Left-footed, Aït-Nouri plays primarily as a left-back but his versatility allows him to operate comfortably as a wing-back or a full-length flank player. In Spalletti’s 3-4-2-1, that profile maps directly onto the wing-back role that McKennie currently fills on the left — and would allow Çelik to return permanently to his natural right-back position rather than continuing to deputise on the opposite flank.
Why January Rather Than January’s Alternative
The international break has also produced a secondary strategic plan. I contatti con l’entourage dell’algerino sono ripresi dopo i primi approcci di fine agosto — the player is finding very little space in Maresca’s rotations, having collected only marginal appearances across the Champions League and Carabao Cup without ever debuting in the Premier League. That accumulating frustration on the player’s side gives Juventus a structural advantage in any negotiation: a player who wants to leave is easier to borrow than one who is content to wait.
The left flank, still being covered by an adapted Çelik, a recovering Cambiaso, and the occasional deployment of McKennie in a hybrid role, is the squad’s most obvious tactical gap going into the winter window. The international break has been used to close it — at least in terms of opening the right conversations. Whether Manchester City, who blocked the summer move, will prove more receptive in January will determine whether the Aït-Nouri chapter becomes Juventus’s first major winter signing or remains the left-back story that continues to elude resolution.
