Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the capture of Rayan Ait-Nouri on a permanent deal from Angers.
The left-back spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Molineux and quickly became a regular while Marcal and Jonny Castro were struggling with injury problems.
Ait-Nouri ended last season with one goal and one assist from 21 Premier League appearances, and Wolves were understandably keen to keep him on the books permanently.
On Friday afternoon, Wolves confirmed that Ait-Nouri had signed for the club permanently, and the 20-year-old has penned a five-year deal with Bruno Lage's side with the option of a further year.
Speaking to the official Wolves website, technical director Scott Sellars said: "We think Rayan is a great signing for the football club. He proved last season that he's a very talented player, with lots of potential – I thought he did well and kicked on towards the end of the season. He's a player who is only going to get better, he's a good boy, who works hard, and settled in well here.
"We've used the loan before buying approach well in the past, with people like Jonny and Raul [Jimenez]. I think it's a great way for both parties to get to know each other, to see if they can adapt and enjoy English football, and we get a chance to have a look first, and see if a deal can be done.
"In Rayan's case, he got a lot of minutes because both Jonny and Marcal suffered injury problems last season, so he had lots of games in the Premier League to show his quality.
"At his age, he's got a lot to learn still, a lot of work on, and I'm sure with us he'll develop. He has great quality going forward, we all remember his goal on his debut, so he's got a lot going for him, as well as areas to develop, like all players."
Angers will supposedly receive £9.5m from his sale, and the Ligue 1 side possess a 50% sell-on clause, which Wolves are able to buy out further down the line.
Ait-Nouri leaves Angers after making 23 appearances for the club, during which time he amassed four assists in French top-flight action.
The France Under-21 international has become Wolves' third signing of the summer window following the arrivals of Yerson Mosquera and Barcelona loanee Francisco Trincao.
Ben Knapton
