Arsenal join Liverpool in the race for Premier League defender

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Raya Ait-Nouri, who has also garnered interest from Liverpool.

The Gunners have had trouble in the fullback department this season, with summer signing Jurrien Timber suffering an ACL injury in his first game for the club. Takehiro Tomiyasu is also out due to injury while Oleksandr Zinchenko has been inconsistent and injury-prone as well. This leaves them with only Ben White as a consistent option.

Hence, according to Football Transfers, Arsenal are looking to sign Ait-Nouri in the January transfer window. They even sent a proposal to Wolves for the left-back but it was rejected instantly.

Wolves are demanding around £50 million for the Algeria international, whose contract expires in 2026. Liverpool have also opened talks with the midlands club regarding a potential transfer for Ait-Nouri. The Reds have lost Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, and Kostas Tsimikas all due to injuries for a few weeks at least. Hence, they are looking for reinforcements this January.

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However, a potential move for Ait-Nouri could become complicated this month as he is currently out on international duty with Algeria at AFCON. If they reach the finals, the Wolves defender could be out until February 12.

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil recently lauded Ait-Nouri’s ability and also pointed out his willingness to learn, saying (via The Athletic):

“We’re trying to improve him positionally and with his decision-making, but we have someone who has that much scope for improvement.

“That’s probably the easiest part for someone to improve. He’s physically developed already, technically he won’t improve much, but when they’re coachable and you can improve that, it makes a big difference. I’m excited to see where we can get Rayan to.”

The 22-year-old fullback has made 19 appearances across competitions for Wolves this season. Overall, he’s played 97 games for the club, registering four goals and eight assists since arriving from Angers SCO in 2021.

Ait-Nouri can bomb forward on the wings but can also invert and help in possession, which makes him a perfect player for Mikel Arteta’s system at Arsenal.