Barcelona are weighing up a January move for Rayan Aït-Nouri, whose playing time at Manchester City has dwindled under Enzo Maresca. The Algeria international is among the options sporting director Deco is considering at left-back, according to Fichajes, while Mundo Deportivo reports that Alejandro Balde is open to leaving in January in search of more minutes.
Fichajes values a potential deal at around €30 million and reports that a Barcelona bid would depend on the sale of Balde. Aït-Nouri is under contract at City until the summer of 2030.
Aït-Nouri would give Hansi Flick an attacking outlet down the left thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward and beat defenders one-on-one. He can play at left-back in a back four or operate as a wing-back, giving Barcelona more ways to break down teams that sit deep.
Barcelona are also looking to strengthen the centre of their defence. Before facing Alavés, Flick said he was working with Deco and his staff to assess a potential January signing at centre-back, a separate move from finding a replacement for Balde if he leaves.
Aït-Nouri has fallen behind Joško Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly in Maresca’s pecking order. Heading into the Leipzig match, he had made four appearances in all competitions this season, starting against Norwich City in the League Cup and coming off the bench against Brighton in the same competition and against Porto and AEK Athens in the Champions League. He has yet to play a minute in the Premier League this season.
City signed Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers in June 2025 for £31 million plus up to £5.3 million in add-ons. He agreed a five-year deal before the Club World Cup, having scored five goals and provided seven assists in 41 appearances for Wolves the previous season. He began his professional career at Angers and moved to England on loan in 2020 before joining Wolves permanently the following year.
Barcelona could face competition from Manchester United. Journalist Florian Plettenberg reports that Aït-Nouri is open to leaving City and that personal terms with United could be agreed, although the relationship between the Manchester rivals remains an obstacle to a deal.
