Algerian full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri is plotting an exit from Manchester City next January, with intermediaries already in talks with a number of clubs, Manchester United among them.
According to "TEAMtalk", Ait-Nouri has struggled for minutes at City since arriving from Wolverhampton in 2025.
He has yet to make a single Premier League appearance under Enzo Maresca. The manager has made his feelings about the full-back clear to City's sporting director, Hugo Viana.
Viana is now drawing up a plan for the Algerian's departure, with the club keen to settle his future before the January window opens. City are expected to demand around £30 million for him.
Earlier this month, Maresca spelled out his stance in public. He confirmed Ait-Nouri is not his first choice and pointed to the competition the player faces for a place in the side.
United are one of the clubs being kept in the loop. They were offered the chance to sign Ait-Nouri on deadline day last window and were keen, but the deal could not be done before the window shut.
The lines of communication between the two clubs have since reopened, with intermediaries working to establish whether a move can be agreed in the new year.
Ait-Nouri, for his part, appears open to the switch. A move would make him the first player to go directly from City to United since Owen Hargreaves in 2011.
Everton have also shown interest. However, they cannot sign Ait-Nouri unless they complete the permanent signing of Jack Grealish first, as Premier League rules bar clubs from loaning two players from the same club.
City have no objection to letting Ait-Nouri leave on loan, handing interested clubs the chance to land him without paying a permanent fee upfront. They would, though, insist on a clause turning the deal permanent once the Algerian reaches an agreed number of appearances.