Report: Lopetegui could help Emery land £16m target, ‘willing’ to sell his replacement in January

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Estadio Deportivo have reported that Julen Lopetegui would be willing to let Rayan Ait-Nouri leave Wolves in January, while potentially replacing Aston Villa-linked left-back Alex Moreno at Real Betis.

Mundo Deportivo have stated that Villa made a £10 million bid to sign Moreno, which seems to have been turned down by Betis, who have set a fee of £16 million.

Amidst the attempt by Aston Villa to sign the in-form Spaniard, it seems as if Lopetegui and Wolves would be happy to allow Ait-Nouri to depart Wolves in January.

Since the Frenchman’s arrival from Angers for £9.5 million (The Athletic), he has been a success at the Molineux Stadium.

So much so that Rayan Ait-Nouri was even heavily linked with a surprise transfer to Manchester City in the summer.

Ait-Nouri is renowned for his excellent ball-carrying ability, reliability in defence, technical proficiency and tactical versatility, capable of playing both in a back 4 as well as a 5-man defence.

However, it seems as if the 21-year-old has found it a challenge to nail down a place in the starting XI for Wolves this season, making just 7 Premier League starts so far.

And it seems the door out of the club may be open for him, as a potential for a player linked with a switch to Aston Villa.

Julen Lopetegui is ready to let Rayan Ait-Nouri leave Wolves in January to potentially succeed Aston Villa-linked Alex Moreno

Now, Estadio Deportivo have stated that Julen Loptegui would be ‘willing’ to sell Rayan Ait-Nouri in January, as a potential replacement for Aston Villa-linked left-back Alex Moreno at Real Betis.

Furthermore, the report states that it is believed that Betis could get a deal for Ait-Nouri over the line with relative ease.

In the event that Rayan Ait-Nouri does leave Wolves to join the Spanish side, it has been stated that he is seen as a stop-gap option, before an upgrade is signed in the summer to fully replace Alex Moreno.

Whatever said and done, it does come as a surprise to hear that Julen Lopetegui would reportedly be open to letting a bright young talent like Ait-Nouri leave without a care in the world.