Liverpool are reportedly in a battle with Arsenal over a deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers star Rayan Ait-Nouri, as per Football Transfers.
The Merseyside club have struggled with injury problems at their back this season as Joel Matip has been ruled out for the rest of this campaign having sustained a serious knee issue.
In addition, Andy Robertson and Konstantinos Tsimikas have also been sidelined over the last few weeks owing to their respective problems. Trent Alexander-Arnold has picked up a knee issue as well and is set to remain sidelined over the upcoming few games.
So, considering both Robertson and Tsimikas have been out injured, Liverpool are currently without a specialist left-back option. Therefore, it appears the Reds have started to explore the market to sign a new left-back in January to bolster their backline.
According to the report by Football Transfers, Liverpool have already held initial talks with Wolves over a deal to sign Ait-Nouri and Gary O’Neil’s side are ready to let their star man leave if they receive an offer of around £50m. So, the Merseyside club will have to spend a big fee to purchase the Algerian.
Battle
However, the report claims that purchasing the defender won’t be easy for Liverpool as Arsenal have also been exploring the possibility of signing a new left-back and have identified Ait-Nouri as a serious option.
Football Transfers also states that Arsenal have already submitted an opening offer to lure Ait-Nouri away from the Molineux Stadium, however, the Gunners’ proposal fell short of Wolves’ asking price so they rejected that bid. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta’s side return with an improved proposal over the coming days to sign Ait-Nouri.
Arsenal only have Oleksandr Zinchenko as their left-back option. So, purchasing a new option to support the Ukrainian would be the right decision and Ait-Nouri could be a shrewd signing.
The Algerian is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to become a top-class player going forward. So, Ait-Nouri would be an excellent acquisition for Liverpool or Arsenal if either club purchase him this year.
It is going to be interesting to see who will eventually win the race to sign Ait-Nouri if Arsenal go head-to-head with Liverpool over this deal.
