Chelsea reportedly have a buy-back clause inserted in the deal that saw Nathan Ake join Bournemouth in 2017.
The report claims that the Blues will have to sell Andreas Christensen to make room for Ake but Frank Lampard’s comments after Chelsea’s game against Burnley at the weekend ruled out that possibility.
It was reported by The Express back in December that the Blues would trigger Ake’s £40m buy-back clause to bring him back to Stamford Bridge. This was a huge blow to the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City who were also interested in signing the Dutchman. (L’Equipe)
With Chelsea now reportedly out of contention, this could be Tottenham and Jose Mourinho’s best chance of signing Ake. Spurs managed to convince Toby Alderweireld to pen a new deal but Vertonghen’s future is still up in the air.
A left-sided centre-half like Ake would be an ideal replacement for Vertonghen and the Dutchman’s ability to play as a left full-back will also be appealing to Mourinho who has used the Belgian in that role at times this season.
However, the biggest issue for Spurs would be the price that Bournemouth would demand for their star defender. The Cherries are in a terrible spot themselves after their 3-0 defeat to Watford which saw the Hornets jump out of the bottom three, pushing Bournemouth in it.
Losing Ake would be an unimaginable blow for Eddie Howe’s side and they will make it as difficult as possible for his suitors. However, Tottenham could use Bournemouth’s struggles against them to lure Ake for a place in a Champions League side.
A deal is surely unlikely at this point but Tottenham will not have a better opportunity to sign Ake. Chelsea will probably come back for the Dutchman in the summer and with their buy-back clause still in place, Lampard’s side will be the favourites to land their former player ahead of Spurs and other interested teams before the start of next season.
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