Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly named their asking price for Rayan Ait-Nouri, who is being linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Vitor Pereira's side have endured a challenging Premier League campaign as they lie 17th in the top-flight standings, albeit with a healthy nine-point cushion above the relegation zone.
Wolves are not out of the demotion dogfight just yet, though, and the Old Gold will be at risk of losing some of their most prized assets if they do drop back down to the Championship for the 2024-25 season.
One of those top talents is left-back Ait-Nouri, who has made a name for himself as an effervescent attacking force at Molineux with four goals and five assists from 32 appearances this season.
All of Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Spurs are said to be keeping a close eye on Ait-Nouri's progress in the West Midlands, with a view to potentially making a move in the summer window.
Wolves 'slap £40m price tag' on Ait-Nouri
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According to Football Insider, the interested parties have been informed that it will take a fee of £40m to prise Ait-Nouri away from Wolves ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Old Gold will supposedly hold out for a sizeable sum in spite of the fact that Ait-Nouri is only under contract for another year and could leave for free at the end of the 2025-26 season.
However, Wolves do have the option to extend Ait-Nouri's deal until 2027, thereby protecting his value that little bit more and strengthening their negotiating position for the summer window.
The 23-year-old originally joined Wolves on loan from French side Angers for the 2020-21 season, before earning a permanent move to the Premier League outfit for £9.4m at the end of the campaign.
Ait-Nouri has since come up with 11 goals and 13 assists in 148 appearances for Wolves across all competitions, while also winning 16 caps for the Algeria national team.
Which club needs Ait-Nouri the most?
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It is a surprise to see Arsenal's name linked with Ait-Nouri - as talented as he is - as a new left-back will surely be the last thing on Mikel Arteta's mind right now.
Even if Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney depart this summer, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori will hold the fort, and Arteta also has Jurrien Timber as an additional option on the left thanks to Ben White's return from injury.
Liverpool are also thought to be closing in on a deal for Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez instead, while Spurs have Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence on the books, and none of the aforementioned trio plays with a wing-back system.
However, Ait-Nouri would surely thrive in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 shape at Man United, although the 23-year-old should expect fierce competition from Patrick Dorgu for the left wing-back spot at Old Trafford.
Ben Knapton
