Talks for a Manchester City player to leave have begun, following last week's bombshell that the club have been found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League rules.
Although Manchester City are expected to appeal the Premier League's decision, speculation and uncertainty hang over the club, with the Citizens' future remaining unclear.
In the meantime, City have received an offer for one of their players – in what the club hope will not be the start of an exodus.
Manchester City star could leave in January on loan
On the field at least, new manager Enzo Maresca has started brightly despite a Community Shield loss, seizing 15 points from 15 in the Premier League securing passage to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and winning their first came in the Champions League.
The Italian has gotten to grips with his new squad and stamped his authority on the team – but just two senior players left at the club have failed to make a Premier League appearance thus far, with one of them being backup goalkeeper, Geronimo Rulli.
The other is Rayan Ait-Nouri, who joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer and made just 15 league appearances in Pep Guardiola's final season, with academy graduate Nico O'Reilly taking the left-back spot ahead of him.
With Maresca claiming earlier this season that “I see him more as a winger than full-back,” the Algerian international has a tough task fighting his way into his new boss's plans, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that he is a target for Juventus.
Sport Witness have relayed the news, noting that the Old Lady have spoken to the player's entourage and that, “They would like to offer an option to buy, with Ait-Nouri desperate to become a key player.”
FourFourTwo understands that part of Maresca's initial reluctance to seriously integrate Ait-Nouri was down to his profile, with the former Chelsea manager preferring full-backs capable of inverting.
The 25-year-old may not be the first-choice option should he move to Turin either, though, with Andrea Cambiaso likely to feature ahead of him in the pecking order.
Signing for City for a reported £31 million, Ait-Nouri went to the Club World Cup with his new club last summer and looked set to hold down the left-back spot, with Josko Gvardiol moving centrally.
While a Wolves player, the France-born defender had an almost unblemished injury record, but an ankle injury ruled him out for almost two months last autumn, and he never recovered his place as Guardiola's starting left-back.
Ait-Nouri is worth €40m, according to Transfermarkt. City face Liverpool when Premier League action resumes after the international break.
