Chelsea have reportedly identified Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Ait-Nouri as a potential transfer target.
The Blues have been frequently adding talent to their ranks since the takeover of the club in May 2022, with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital eager to acquire young players on long-term contracts.
As it stands, that strategy has had minimal success as Chelsea are currently not participating in Europe and are out of the qualification positions for 2024-25.
Nevertheless, despite a wide array of players arriving at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea's FFP position coming under scrutiny, that is not expected to lead to a quiet period on the transfer front.
If Chelsea were to be active in the coming transfer windows, it may be felt that the left-side of defence is a position where they are already well-stocked.
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Levi Colwill has been deployed there regularly, rather than in central defence, with Marc Cucurella, Ben Chilwell and Ian Maatsen all providing competition.
However, according to 90min, Chelsea's recruitment team are deliberating over whether to make an approach for Ait-Nouri in 2024.
The Algeria international has been with Wolves since the start of the 2020 campaign, initially on a loan deal from Angers that was later made permanent.
In total, the 22-year-old has made 92 appearances in all competitions, contributing four goals and eight assists for the West Midlands outfit.
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Ait-Nouri is yet to add to that tally in 2023-24, yet he has enjoyed the best spell of form during his time at Wolves with Gary O'Neil in charge.
Being deployed as a wing-back rather than a full-back, Ait-Nouri has had more licence to surge forward, and it has benefitted both himself and the team.
With two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, though, Wolves are entering a territory where they may be vulnerable to offers, with Liverpool having also been linked with the player.
Theoretically, Wolves are not in a position where they can allow Ait-Nouri's contract to run down close to its 2026 expiry date courtesy of Angers possessing a substantial sell-on clause.
Darren Plant
