Manchester City are shaping up as Arsenal's main challenger for the Premier League title under Enzo Maresca, and the Algeria international's immediate future has become a live issue after Manchester United explored a deadline-day move for him.
City blocked that approach and have since made clear they will not entertain a similar enquiry from a rival in the winter window either.
Aït-Nouri joined City from Wolves for £31 million last year, and while he has found game time limited under Maresca so far this season, the Italian still views him as an important option in defence. The 25-year-old made his first appearance of the campaign off the bench in City's Champions League win over Porto, setting up a goal for Erling Haaland in an unfamiliar role further forward.
United had wanted to take Aït-Nouri on loan as a short-term fix for their own left-back problems, having failed to land a permanent option over the summer, but City were unwilling to strengthen a direct rival even on a temporary basis. Any loan would in any case have required an obligation to make the deal permanent at the end of the season, a condition United were unwilling to accept for what they saw as only a stop-gap signing.
With Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly also able to cover the left side of defence, Aït-Nouri is currently behind both in the pecking order, though City remain adamant he has a role to play across their four-competition campaign.
City are set to face a hectic fixture schedule in the coming months, and Maresca is expected to rotate his squad heavily to manage the workload, which should in turn create further opportunities for Aït-Nouri to state his case for regular football at the Etihad Stadium.
The full-back registered five assists in 31 appearances for City last season, his first at the club following his move from Molineux. United, meanwhile, remain without a recognised backup for Luke Shaw after also missing out on Newcastle's Lewis Hall during the summer window, leaving Michael Carrick to continue working with the options already available to him in that position.