Nathan Ake looks to be following Raheem Sterling to Chelsea this summer, with Manchester City requesting another £45m up front and £5m in add-ons. The 27-year-old has been a bit-part player under Pep Guardiola ever since he arrived from Bournemouth, so the Premier League champions have played a blinder getting the same amount of money as Sterling.
Ake joined City for £41m in 2020 and has gone on to make just 40 appearances in all competitions from a possible 119. The Dutch international hasn’t been able to dethrone Ruben Dias, John Stones or Aymeric Laporte, so he’s spent most of his time as an unused substitute or left out of the matchday squad.
Ake was willing to fight for his place this summer, but the chance to be a key player at Chelsea is too good to turn down, especially as a former player. But how City have convinced the Londoners that he’s worth even more money than they paid in 2020 remains to be seen. Chelsea could end up paying City £50m, let alone Ake’s wages, for a player Guardiola can easily do without when everyone is fit. He doesn’t start ahead of Matthijs De Ligt and Stefan De Vrij for the Netherlands either.
It will be hard for the City manager to find a talented left-footed defender who is versatile and homegrown, but it’s a no-brainer to accept £45m for an outcast.
In other news, Paul Merson says Man City will ‘massively miss’ Raheem Sterling when he leaves
Great piece Crippy. Good for Chelsea, good for City and better for Ake.