C+helsea are reportedly in talks with Manchester City for Dutch international Nathan Ake as their defensive rebuild continues.
According to Daily Telegraph, Chelsea are currently engaged in talks with Manchester City defender Nathan Ake.
The Dutch centre-back was in Chelsea’s youth ranks, spending six years with the club. During that time, he went out on three different loan spells and showed off flashes of his talent. It was unfortunately not enough to see him become a regular at Stamford Bridge, and he eventually departed for Bournemouth in 2017.
His time with the Cherries proved fruitful as Ake established himself as a top-flight regular and also made inroads into the Dutch national team. These performances caught the attention of Manchester City, who signed him in the summer of 2020.
Despite winning back-to-back Premier League titles, the 27-year-old has struggled for regular playtime under Pep Guardiola. A return to Chelsea could be just what he needs to get his career back on track.
Thomas Tuchel’s success at Chelsea was made possible thanks to a solid defence, and the German was dealt a double blow when Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club as free agents to join Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. Thiago Silva is not getting any younger, while Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr still have much to learn.
Bringing in at least two centre-backs is a necessity, and the Blues are tracking several stars such as Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde. While the two central defenders are certainly high-profile names, Ake could prove to be a shrewd buy. The Manchester City defender is not just familiar with the expectations of the club but is also a proven commodity in the English game.
Good in the air and excellent with the ball at his feet, Ake possesses the attributes that make him a solid modern-day centre-back. While he might not be as refined as the likes of Virgil van Dijk, the Dutchman is an able player who can be considered reliable. Add to it his ability to also play at left-back and the Manchester City defender could fit in seamlessly into the Chelsea backline.
Manchester City, however, value the defender at £50 million and will only sanction the sale once they get a replacement. Given how their summer transfer window has gone so far, Chelsea will do well to wrap up the Ake deal soon and move on to other targets.
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