The Italian club have reopened their summer pitch for the 25-year-old Algeria left-back, reviving a loan with option to buy that Manchester City turned down four months ago. Juventus view him as a priority January signing. The report notes that “all indications are that he is not a part of the Italian’s long-term plans” under Enzo Maresca.
Ait-Nouri arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2025 for a reported €36.8m. He has yet to start a Premier League match this season. His only minutes are 90 in the EFL Cup and a 15-minute Champions League cameo, and he was open to the move Juventus proposed in July.
The verdict that changed the arithmetic
The exit chatter sits against a backdrop few City players anticipated when the campaign began. On Tuesday 29 September the Premier League’s independent commission ruled that the club had breached well over 100 regulations between 2009/10 and 2017/18, inflating revenues by around £830m through what the panel called “sham” contracts with commercial partners. Three of four cooperation charges were upheld.
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has rejected the ruling.
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“The whole Premier League case is based on a single false accusation; that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi,” Soriano said.
The club lodged their appeal by the 2 October deadline. Sanctions, which could include a points deduction, title-stripping, or expulsion from the Premier League, will be addressed at a separate commission hearing.
Agents already on the phones
Ait-Nouri is one visible data point in a wider pattern. Mick Brown, a former Manchester United chief scout, told Football Insider that representatives for several first-team players are already sounding out alternative destinations.
“Agents will already be speaking to different clubs, looking to see what sort of interest there might be, and looking to see if they can get their client a good deal at the end of it,” Brown said.
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“They will be in contact with top clubs around Europe, just putting the ground work in place so that if they are relegated, things can move very quickly.”
Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Elliot Anderson, Phil Foden, Marc Guehi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Enzo Fernandez have each been named in the preliminary round of inquiries, according to The Hard Tackle. None has formally entered contract talks elsewhere, and sports lawyers have been cautious about any suggestion that squad members could unilaterally walk away over the verdict.
Enzo Maresca is expected to address his squad for the first time since the ruling during the international break. Manchester City’s next Premier League fixture is at Anfield against Liverpool on Sunday 11 October.
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