Phil Thomas of The Sun say Manchester City are considering selling Nathan Ake this summer as he’s struggled for playing time this season and may want regular first-team football elsewhere.
The 27-year-old finds himself behind John Stones, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte in the pecking order, starting just 10 Premier League games from a possible 38.
Newcastle United are interested in Ake as they’re looking to replace Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez, but the Magpies won’t be happy with how much money City are requesting.
The Sun say the Sky Blues want £50m for the Netherlands international, which is more than they paid in 2020. Ake is not a first-team regular and earns less money (£92k-per-week/£4.8m-a-year) than 11 other players in the squad, so City are overvaluing Ake.
If City want a summer sale, they’re going the wrong way about it with that asking price – they risk unsettling the player and aren’t likely to have any suitors willing to match the fee.
James Tarkowski is a free agent after running his contract down at Burnley and would be more cost-effective than Ake. There aren’t many teams that would pay £50m for an out-of-favour centre-back either, so City might have to lower their demands.
In other news, Pep Guardiola making right decision keeping Julian Alvarez next season