Barcelona are considering signing Manchester City‘s Rayan Aït-Nouri in the winter market after already looking at him in the past. 

The left-back enjoyed a good spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers for five years, and that convinced Manchester City to bet on him in June 2025.

Pep Guardiola was in charge and didn’t utilise him regularly last season. He finished with 1,605 minutes in 28 matches for the Premier League side.

Guardiola stepped down, and Enzo Maresca replaced him in the summer. The Italian didn’t rely upon the Algeria international and limited him to 168 minutes in four appearances. The fullback is still waiting to make his first league appearance of the season.

He also lost a place in the national team after lashing out at the coaching staff and his teammates in September.

Manchester City exit on cards 

The former Wolves man recently changed agents and Ali Barat represents him. Last week, Sport Witness covered a report from France explaining that the agent is already looking to take him away from the Etihad in January.

Barat has to find a suitable destination where he can enjoy regular game time. Barcelona have emerged as an option for the former Wolves man and Thursday’s edition of Sport covers the latest.

Hansi Flick has João Cancelo and Xavi Espart as the first choice left-backs, while the duo’s preferred position is as a right-back. Besides them, Alejandro Balde is the other left-back and has lost prominence this season. He could be on the move in the next window.

Therefore, the La Liga winners are searching the market for a fullback and have identified Rayan Aït-Nouri as a target. They are aware of the possibility of him leaving Manchester City.

Interest in Manchester City man not new 

The newspaper says it’s ‘increasingly likely’ for the defender to leave Enzo Maresca’s side in January. This should please Barcelona, who have already monitored him before his move to Manchester City.

Their plan is to sign him on loan, while the Citizens would want to include a mandatory purchase obligation. This makes the transfer complicated for Barcelona.

Despite this, the Camp Nou side have Aït-Nouri on their list because of Alejandro Balde’s situation. Barca want to have alternatives ready if the only recognised left-back were to leave in January. This is where the Manchester City player comes into the picture.

Even if Balde were to leave, it’s not certain that Aït-Nouri will be a starter under Hansi Flick.

It’s worth noting that other clubs are also showing interest in the Algerian. He may decide his next club that assures him a prominent role.