Despite Nuno Espirito Santo having Jonny Otto and Ruben Vinagre at left-back, Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a long-term replacement – Rayan Aït Nouri.
L’Equipe via Get Football News France said in December 2019 that an unnamed Premier League club had lodged a €30m (£26.7m) bid for the 18-year-old. Jorge Mendes is his agent and met with Angers’ General Manager Olivier Pickeu at the time, so Wolves may have previous with Nouri.
TuttoMercatoWeb said earlier this month that the Midlands outfit are still keen on the left-back and may have to battle Manchester City for his signature too, so it does appear there’s genuine interest. But who is Nouri?
The 18-year-old rose through the youth ranks to the Angers first-team in 2018 and has gone on to make 20 appearances in all competitions, making three assists. He was a regular this season before breaking his jaw in mid-January and has represented France at U21 level three times.
Nouri has three years remaining on his deal, so Angers are in a strong negotiation position. If Wolves want to bring the left-back to Molineux this summer, it may take a bid of €35m (£31.16m) to do it – L’Equipe said Pickeu wants more than what was previously offered.
Part of Wolves’ transfer policy has them targeting young talent as they look to the future, but what would Nouri’s arrival mean for Jonny and Vinagre? The 18-year-old has featured regularly for Angers, so he wouldn’t be content with bench duty at Molineux.
