Etihad bosses conduct background checks on Premier League left-back ahead of potential Manchester City transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City are in the process of conducting background checks on one of the Premier League’s standout left-back profiles, according to a new report.

Pep Guardiola is set to be backed heavily in the summer transfer window to rebuild his squad and challenge on all fronts in the 2025-26 campaign – after Manchester City failed to mount a challenge for the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League this term.

Hugo Viana is in the building and will take over from Txiki Begiristain as director of football in the coming months as Manchester City map out a summer of incomings and outgoings to go full throttle on all fronts after a sub-standard season.

City have still plenty to fight for in the closing stages of the current campaign as a fine run of form since April has seen the Blues book a place in the FA Cup final – where they will play Crystal Palace at Wembley in two weeks’ time – and in the driver’s seat to secure a top five finish in the Premier League.

A number of high-profile departures are in the offing at the Etihad Stadium and that door opens with Kevin De Bruyne, who is assessing offers and weighing up his future in the final two months of his Manchester City contract, which expires at the end of June.

Pep Guardiola is believed to have identified Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz as the ideal replacement for De Bruyne, with Manchester City also set to make advancements in their attempts to lure Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White to the Etihad Stadium.

According to the information of journalist Graeme Bailey, Manchester City are currently ‘conducting background checks’ on Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri before they formalise their interest in the defender’s services.

In positive news for Etihad Stadium officials, it is claimed that Wolves would be willing to sell the 23-year-old in the upcoming summer transfer window as long as their £40 million valuation is met.

Ait-Nouri would represent a potent addition to a Manchester City backline that has functioned in the absence of a natural left-back for many years, with the likes of Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis and even Matheus Nunes filling in since Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Arsenal in 2022.

Guardiola is understood to be keen on adding at least one full-back to his squad this summer and with Kyle Walker almost certain to leave Manchester City on a permanent basis at the end of his loan spell at AC Milan, Ait-Nouri could well be tempted by the prospect of joining hands with former Wolves teammate Nunes in Manchester.

City are also interested in Juventus wing-back Andrea Cambiaso as they look to improve a defence that has struggled for fitness and form for much of the campaign – a key underlying reason for Guardiola’s glaring struggles this season.