Manchester City’s pursuit of a centre-back has led them to increase their interest in Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake. The Dutchman has been on City’s radar since before the January transfer window, but in his column for The Athletic, David Ornstein reports that there have been early discussions over a potential deal.
Manchester City Increase Interest in Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake
City in Need of a Centre-Back
If there’s one negative about Manchester City’s squad of superstars, it’s that the centre of defence is their weak link. Since Vincent Kompany left the club to return to Belgium, they have missed him and his leadership qualities dearly.
Fernandinho, a defensive midfielder, has been filling in at the back recently alongside Aymeric Laporte. With John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi sitting on the sidelines, it’s clear that Pep Guardiola cannot fully trust them to operate alongside Laporte and would rather move Fernandinho out of position and plug another gap in the midfield.
Youngster Eric Garcia has recently come into the side too, but if Stones does depart the club, as has been reported, it will still leave City light in that department and in need of a signing.
Nathan Ake Talks Advance
According to Ornstein’s report, this deal is not yet at a stage where there is only one destination for Ake. Talks between Bournemouth and City have advanced but there are others on their radar, including Kalidou Koulibaly and Dan-Axel Zagadou.
A return to Chelsea is also not out of the question, although it is currently not clear whether the Blues inserted a buyback option into the contract when they sold Ake to Bournemouth permanently in 2017.
There is also no current indication of the fee either of the sides will have to pay as it will hinge on whether Bournemouth secure survival in the Premier League. If they do go down, it’s a given that the Cherries will have to sell their star man to help fund their campaign back in the Football League.
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