Chelsea have reportedly made Manchester City defender Nathan Ake their new priority this summer when it comes to signing a new centre-back, with the Blues struggling to find replacements for Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
According to the Telegraph, the west London side have opened talks to sign the Netherlands international five years after Ake left Chelsea for AFC Bournemouth, with the versatile defender now a regular for City after signing for the Manchester side in 2020 for a reported £40m.
Whilst Ake has played a decent amount for City over the years, the former Feyenoord academy talent is yet to fully nail down a position for the club, with Chelsea now keen on re-signing their ex-defender as Thomas Tuchel looks to flesh out the Blues’ defensive options.
The German manager has mainly used a three-at-the-back system for Chelsea, meaning that Ake is perfectly suited to what Tuchel is looking for in a new defender, with the 27-year-old thriving in this role during his time with Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, who is also reportedly chasing the City star for Newcastle United.
Hailed as an ‘absolutley brilliant’ player by the Toon boss, it’s no real surprise why Ake is so in demand this summer, with the defender keen to play regular football ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after coming out of his shell with City last season.
Indeed, Ake showed multiple times last season that he is ready for a starting spot at a big club, and whilst Chelsea might seem like an unusual decision given how they treated the centre-back, the Dutch star would be a guaranteed starter for the west London side.
Ake will be hopeful that Chelsea win the race to sign him
Ake is set to join the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus out of City this summer, and just like his English attacking teammate, the defender will be hoping that Chelsea are the side that eventually signs him given how ideal the situation would be.
Indeed, the left-centre-back spot is a role that Ake has thrived in over the years, and for the Blues, the Holland superstar has the potential to redeem himself to Chelsea supporters who wrote him off many years ago after his move to Bournemouth.
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