Wolves set to complete signing of Rayan Aït Nouri
It’s today been confirmed that Wolves are on the cusp of signing highly-rated left-back Rayan Aït Nouri from French side Angers. Rayan Aït Nouri has been linked with Wolves throughout the window and it’s today been confirmed by The Athletic that Wolves will initially take Aït Nouri on a season-long loan with an option make the move a permanent one. The fee that has been agreed between Wolves and Angers is still unclear but it’s expected to be £20 million with Aït Nouri having plenty of suitors from some of Europe’s elite clubs.
It was understood that Aït Nouri had opted against a move to Molineux and wanted a move to a club that has European football but with the transfer deadline edging closer, he has decided on a move to Wolves after all. It’s worth noting that his agent is also Jorge Mendes.
Aït Nouri is still just 19-years-old but has managed to establish himself as a regular starter for his club Angers and has been extremely impressive – turning out mature performance at left-back and left wing-back. Aït Nouri played 16 times last season in Ligue 1 and managed to provide three assists from left-back.
What type of player is Rayan Aït Nouri?
It could be argued that Aït Nouri is in a similar mould to the outgoing Ruben Vinagre but there is much more to his game in comparison to Vinagre and it’s understood this is one of the deciding factors in the transfer. Aït Nouri possesses great speed and is a direct player, who’s not afraid of getting at opposition full-backs to try and force an opening.
He’s an extremely agile player, possesses very good close control and has a strong delivery from the left too. His defensive game is also at a good level and we expect that to only get better under Nuno.
His current manager Stephane Moulin recently said: “For Rayan, I have rarely seen a boy with this talent, he is very ahead of the game. He was very well balanced and I think that he will find himself in a big club.”
These kinds of words would suggest Wolves are on the verge of a major coup for the club and with Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona and Sevilla (just to name a few) all showing concrete interest in the young Frenchman. He’ll come into the squad to replace the outgoing Ruben Vinagre and will pressure Jonny for the left wing-back position at Wolves.
What does this mean for Ruben Vinagre?
Ruben Vinagre is on his way out of Wolves with a move to Olympiacos edging closer. It’s understood the deal is a season-long loan with an option to buy for a fee of around £22.5 million. Vinagre had shown signs of promise during his tenure at Molineux but has failed to kick on due to the form of Jonny and the limited amounts of minutes he’s had. He’s looked shaky this season and not close enough to the standard required to operate in the Premier League consistently.
You can keep up to date with all the Wolves transfer rumours as they happen over on the Talking Wolves Twitter.