City face race against time for £50m Rayan

City are keen to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri before the World Club Championship, while Craig Dawson, inset, is attracting interest from Derby and Wrexham

- By KEITH WALES

MANCHESTER City are ramping up their plans to sign Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The former Premier League champions are keen to get business done before the new-look World Club Championship in the US later this month, so a £50 million deal could be sealed within the next ten days.

If so, Ait-Nouri will be the first left-back signed by City since Angelino in 2019. Several players have filled the role, with homegrown No.10 Nico O'Reilly being the most recent after centre-back Josko Gvardiol had made the position his own.

While nothing has been finalised with Wolves, the Birmingham Mail understands there is now confidence a deal for Ait-Nouri will be completed. The Algeria international played 37 times for Wolves in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.