Nathan Ake looks on his way out of Manchester City amid interest from a host of Premier League clubs. Tom Gott of 90min says Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Newcastle United are keen on the out-of-favour 27-year-old, so City shouldn’t struggle making their money back.
Ake has failed to hold down a starting place under Pep Guardiola and may have to leave to get regular opportunities next season, so it makes sense for City to cash in. But letting the Dutch international leave means he’d need replacing and Ake is a specialist defender.
The 27-year-old is a left-footed centre-back who ticks the homegrown quota box and there aren’t many attainable replacements good enough to play for City. Tyrone Mings is a left-footer who represented the England national team at the European Championships last year, but the 29-year-old is not a player on Guardiola’s radar.
With so much interest in Ake, City can’t be blamed for cashing in as he’s surplus to requirements, but it won’t be easy to succeed him with a homegrown talent.
In other news, Dietmar Hamann says Kalvin Phillips could struggle for playing time at Man City