Wolves have been named as the club in pole position to sign rising talent Rayan Ait Nouri from Ligue 1 side SCO Angers.
That's according to RMC Sport (via HITC), who tip the Premier League outfit to be leading the race for his services, with Valencia also reportedly interested in tabling an offer. The left-back is looking for a way out of the club following their recent heavy 6-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
A price tag hasn't been specified for the 19-year-old yet, but he is currently valued at £18million by Transfermarkt.
How Ait Nouri would fit in at Wolves
Wolves are currently in a predicament when it comes to their left-back position. With talisman Jonny Otto currently out with a knee injury, it leaves Nuno Espirito Santo with just one available option. Ruben Vinagre has been doing a fine job on the left flank but he is set to move on, leaving Wolves in seriously hot water, with no other left-back available.
Ait Nouri can be deployed in both the left midfield and left wing positions as well as his natural role in defence. With Diogo Jota no longer at the club and Wolves running low on options, the Frenchman could provide some much needed depth in attack too.
In three appearances for Angers this season, the teenager has already bagged himself an assist. He tallied three assists last season and seven clean sheets in 17 appearances – he was sidelined for the back end of the campaign due to suffering a fractured jaw (via Transfermarkt).
Wolves planning for the future
After snapping up Ki-Jana Hoever from Liverpool, it seems that Nuno is very much invested in creating a strong and youthful squad. The young Dutchman joined the club last month for a fee of £9million, becoming part of the bigger picture at Molineux. Ait Nouri could arrive in similar fashion, but he may be called upon sooner than expected.
Wolves currently have just four senior midfielders on their roster and may opt to utilise the 19-year-old's admirable versatility in the middle of the park. Angers manager Stephane Moulin has given a preview to what Nuno could expect from the France youth international.
"For Rayan, I have rarely seen a boy with this talent, he is very ahead of the game," he told RMC Sport (via GFFN). He was very well balanced and I think that he will find himself in a big club."
Wolves finished in a very respectable seventh place last season, behind sixth-placed Spurs only on goal difference. Despite their sticky start to this term, the Wanderers could easily pull back another strong season and adding another talented and proven player to the ranks could be a step in the right direction.
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