Report: Man City and Ola Aina situation revealed amid Nottingham Forest contract speculation
03/14/2025 09:05 AM
Despite Ola Aina seemingly confirming his commitment to Nottingham Forest, his contract situation is keeping other clubs interested.
After yet another standout performance last Saturday against Manchester City, Robbie Earle was blown away by Aina and his ability to keep the Premier League champions’ world-class attack quiet.
Man City already have an interest in Aina, so this display will have surely sured up this, fueling speculation about the right-back’s status as his Forest contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
It’s been made clear that Forest remain interested in keeping Aina but with the clock ticking, Reds fans are rightfully becoming nervous about the club’s chances of keeping the 28-year-old given the calibre of teams reportedly in the mix.
Aina has admitted he hopes to stay at Forest, which has only made the wait for an update even more frustrating. However, a fresh report has at least given news of City’s current status in respect to a move for the Nigerian international.
Manchester City have yet to make a move for Ola Aina
Recently, Antoine Semenyo named Aina as his toughest opponent as the right back’s stock continues to rise, to the potential detriment of Evangelos Marinakis and Forest.
However, according to All Nigeria Soccer, this has yet to convince City to make a concrete move for the former Chelsea defender.
The report said: “Aina has been linked with a move to Manchester City as a potential replacement for Kyle Walker, who has been loaned out to AC Milan for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy.
“Manchester City have not yet tabled an offer for Nottingham Forest fullback Aina. Although the Citizens are monitoring the situation of the Chelsea academy product, the current Premier League champions have not yet firmed up their interest in the Super Eagles defender.”
With Walker’s departure from City almost certain in the summer, it seems slightly odd that the Manchester club have yet to make a move to sign one of the Premier League’s top fullbacks for free, especially given how he compares to their current options in the position.
Ola Aina has had a much stronger season than Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes
To be fair to Matheus Nunes, he is a central midfielder by trade, but Guardiola has trusted him to play right back a lot this season, including against Forest last Saturday.
| Statistic | Ola Aina | Matheus Nunes |
| Duels won % | 54.8% | 48.1% |
| Dribbled past per 90 | 0.85 | 1.21 |
| Tackles won % | 75.5% | 65.4% |
| Recoveries per 90 | 5.67 | 3.88 |
| Successful dribbles per 90 | 1.07 | 0.95 |
Statistically, though, Aina has complete dominance over Nunes in all aspects of a defensive performance, including a stronger duels won percentage and being dribbled past less per 90 minutes.
Aina is also much stronger and successful in the tackle with an over 10% better tackle success rate, as well as being a harder-working right back with more recoveries per 90.
His performances have been so impressive that Aina has become one of the best right-backs in Europe statistically, and with Man City having a torrid time defensively this season, it seems bizarre that they have yet to table a bid for the 28-year-old.
The ball is in Marinakis’ court now, with the opportunity to secure his star defender before any of the competition even have a chance to make a move.
