City seal Ait-Nouri signature

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Manchester City F.C.

·9 giugno 2025

City seal Ait-Nouri signature

Manchester City are delighted to announce the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 24-year-old left-back has penned a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium meaning he will remain at the Club until the summer of 2030.

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An Algeria international, Ait-Nouri has established a reputation as one of the most exciting full-backs in the Premier League over the past five years with his productivity in the final third and ability to thwart opposition attacks.

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He's particularly flourished when going forward, and last term he grabbed four goals and seven assists in the top-flight, which proved crucial in Wolves’ cementing their Premier League status.

After progressing through the youth systems of AS Val de Fontenay, ASF LE Perreux 94 and Paris FC, the 24-year-old joined Angers’ academy in the summer of 2016 before signing his first professional contract with the western French side two years later.

WATCH: Ait-Nouri: I’m happy to be playing for, rather than against, City!

He then made his debut against Paris Saint Germain in August 2018 before totalling 23 appearances for Angers ahead of a loan move to Wolves in October 2020.

Featuring 24 times during his temporary spell at Molineux in 2020/21, his impressive stay was made permanent at the start of the following campaign, and he went on to make a further 133 appearances – proving himself as one of Wolves’ most influential players.

On his switch to City, Ait-Nouri said: “I am incredibly happy and honoured to have joined Manchester City.

“City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true.

“I am also excited about working with and learning from Pep and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players.

“Joining City is also a very proud moment for my family too.

“Now I can’t wait to get started and to play in front of our supporters.”

Director of Football Hugo Viana said he was hugely excited to welcome Ait-Nouri to the club.

“Rayan is a player that as a Club we have been following closely for quite some time and we are delighted he has joined us,” he began.

“He already has extensive Premier League experience and has also demonstrated his quality at international level with Algeria.

“We feel sure that he will be an excellent addition to our squad and that working alongside Pep and his coaching staff will help develop his game even further.

“And at just 24 he is someone we feel sure will help us in our objective to bring more success to the Club.”

Everyone at Manchester City is pleased to welcome Rayan to the Club and we wish him all the very best during his time here.

Flying full-back

Rayan Ait-Nouri’s performances during his impressive five-season stay at Wolves arguably provide the perfect blueprint for the modern day full-back.

Watertight defensively and dangerous in attack, his value in each third can’t be underestimated – and at just 24 – the sky’s the limit for the Algeria international.

His qualities at both ends of the pitch are clear to see when stacking up Ait-Nouri against his Premier League counterparts.

Only Fulham’s Antonee Robinson made more assists among defenders in 2024/25, and he also ranked fourth among goals behind new City team-mate Josko Gvardiol, Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Nottingham Forest centre-half Nikola Milenkovic.

When it came to chances created, he once again ranked fourth among Premier League defenders, while he also completed the second most dribbles.

But to focus just on Ait-Nouri's attacking qualities would be a disservice to a player who also completed the sixth most tackles and won possession back in the final third more than any other Premier League defender last season.

Born and raised in Parisian suburbs, his footballing tutelage started at local teams AS Val de Fontenay and ASF Le Perreux 94 before his sparkling potential caught the eye of Paris FC.

His rapid rise continued in their youth team which prompted Angers to swoop for his services with Ait-Nouri making the switch to the western France outfit’s academy in July 2016.

Just over two years had passed before he penned his maiden professional contract, and it didn’t take long for him to make his mark for their first team – making his debut for Angers away to Paris Saint Germain in August 2018.

At the start of the 2019/20, he had established himself as their first choice left-back before making 17 appearances before the season was prematurely curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He made three appearances for Angers at the start of the following season before he completed a loan move to Wolves in October 2020 and made a fast start to life at Molineux when scoring on debut in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

In his temporary term with the Black Country club, he totalled 24 appearances in all competitions before making his stay permanent at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign.

The 24-year-old went on to make 27 appearances in each of the following two seasons with a particular highlight being his dramatic late winner over Everton in December 2022 shortly after Julen Lopetegui had taken the Wolves reins.

Although he progressed through three levels of the France international youth structure, he switched to represent Algeria on the senior stage, and he made his debut in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Niger in March 2023.

In total he has represented his nation 17 times already and Gary O’Neil’s arrival as Wolves boss at the start of 2023/24 saw Ait-Nouri’s progression grow exponentially.

He made 38 appearances throughout the campaign and a further 41 last term under both O’Neil and then Vitor Pereira, as he enjoyed his best season to date in both boxes.

In total, he scored four goals and registered seven Premier League assists while playing a starring role in Wolves’ run of six straight top-flight wins from March to April which saw him help the Midlands outfit record three clean sheets.

That played a crucial role in securing Pereira’s side’s status in the division and, as he’s proven in his career to date, Ait-Nouri is ready for the next step on his impressive footballing journey so far.