Talks held with intermediaries: Unhappy Man City star who played last night now eyeing Old Trafford switch

Rayan Ait-Nouri’s camp is already exploring a move away for the outcast Manchester City star in January.

According to TeamTalk, talks have already been held with potential suitors via intermediaries, with Manchester United contacted to gauge their interest.

Rayan Ait-Nouri: The state of play

The Red Devils are expected to be in the market for a full-back mid-season following setbacks to Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu, though it remains to be seen if the two Manchester rivals would do business with one another.

Ait-Nouri fits the bill of what INEOS would want; he’s only 25 years old and has ample Premier League experience thanks to his spells with City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In fact, United established their interest in loaning the Algerian in the dying embers of the summer window, but nothing materialised.

How is Ait-Nouri faring with the Blues?

Now that he is facing an uphill battle for game time at the Etihad, Ait-Nouri is pushing for a winter exit.

He has yet to feature in the league under Enzo Maresca this term, leaving his only appearances to come in the League Cup and Champions League, where he has featured four times in total.

Even so, the defender has started only once; in a 5-0 cup win over Norwich City back in September, where he recorded two assists.

Ait-Nouri came off the bench last night for the second half of City’s last-16 Carabao Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, and played for the second half plus the penalty shootout.

Maresca has already publicly expressed that the former Molineux ace ranks below his counterparts.

“He’s a clear full-back. In that position, we have Josko [Gvardiol], who is doing fantastic; we have Nico [O’Reilly], who, when he is fit, is doing fantastic; and he’s in the same position so it’s just competition between them,” said the City boss.