Liverpool and Arsenal are both believed to have an interest in one Premier League defender.
According to Football Transfers, the Reds have already held discussions with Wolves regarding a possible move for Rayan Ait-Nouri, who may leave Molineux at the end of the season or even in January if an offer of £50m or more is presented.
However, a switch in the current transfer window seems unlikely given that the 22-year-old is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria. The Gunners have already submitted a proposal for the left-back but saw it rejected as it didn’t meet the valuation set by the Midlands club.
With both Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson currently injured (although the latter is closing in on a comeback), it’s not wholly surprising that Liverpool are being linked with potential left-back additions this month.
Ait-Nouri is a proven Premier League operator with 82 appearances in the division (Transfermarkt), and at 22 the peak years of his career are still ahead of a player who journalist Tim Spiers once hailed as ‘phenomenal‘.
The Algeria defender is highly adept at both dribbling past opponents and preventing them from doing the same to him, ranking among the top 1% of left-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for successful take-ons with 2.43 per game, and the top 11% of positional peers for tackles per 90 minutes (2.74), as per FBref.
However, it could be argued that Liverpool don’t need to spend £50m on a left-back whose output of goal contributions at Wolves (12 in 97 appearances) simply can’t compare to Robertson’s 72 goals/assists in 275 games for the Reds.
Ait-Nouri is a very good player, for sure, but LFC could probably find better value elsewhere if they continue to case their net wide for alternatives to the Scotland captain and Tsimikas.
More must-reads: