Man Utd target Man City outcast Ait-Nouri to solve left-back crisis in January

Manchester United are plotting a January move for Manchester City left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, with the Algeria international willing to make the rare cross-city transfer after falling out of favour at the Etihad Stadium.

Ait-Nouri, 25, has managed just four appearances for City since his £31m arrival from Wolves in 2025, none of them in the Premier League. United first attempted to sign him on deadline day in September, and Sky Germany report that the club are ready to reignite that interest, with personal terms unlikely to pose a problem.

The main obstacle is the clubs’ fierce rivalry. The last senior player to move directly between the two Manchester sides was Owen Hargreaves in 2011 — and even that came after his United contract had expired rather than via a direct transfer.

United’s need is clear. First-choice left-back Luke Shaw remains sidelined through injury, and his absence has been painfully exposed during a run of nine games without a win. Diogo Dalot and academy product Ayden Heaven have both been pressed into service on the left, with limited success.

Ait-Nouri’s situation at City has deteriorated to the point where his only full 90 minutes this season came against Norwich in the Carabao Cup third round, where he contributed two assists in a 5-0 win. His lack of club football has also cost him his starting berth with Algeria, with Brighton’s Jaouen Hadjam preferred at left-back during the last international window.

City manager Enzo Maresca addressed Ait-Nouri’s limited role last week, making clear there is no positional reinvention on the horizon. “He’s a clear full-back,” Maresca said. “In that position, we have Josko [Gvardiol], who is doing fantastic, we have Nico [O’Reilly], who when he is fit is doing fantastic — and he’s the same position, so it’s just competition between them.”

Ait-Nouri was included in City’s 23-man squad for their Champions League trip to RB Leipzig, suggesting Maresca has not entirely closed the door on him this season. Whether City would sanction a sale to their fiercest domestic rivals — even for a player struggling for minutes — remains the central question United must answer before the January window opens.