Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is reportedly hopeful of prising Nathan Ake and Asmir Begovic away from Chelsea this summer.
Howe will know Ake well given that the defender impressed in 10 Premier League games for his side before being recalled from his loan spell by Antonio Conte in January.
The 22-year-old has found regular playing time hard to come by since returning to Stamford Bridge, and that’s ultimately where Bournemouth hope to take advantage as they will look to take the Dutchman back to the Vitality Stadium ahead of next season.
According to The Mirror, Begovic is also on their transfer shortlist as it’s added that Bournemouth tried to sign the Chelsea shot-stopper with a £10m bid in the winter window, but were unsuccessful on that occasion.
However, they intend on reviving their interest in the summer if this report is to be believed, as the Bosnian international could be tempted to quit Chelsea if he continues to sit behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order for the foreseeable future.
Following their crucial 4-0 win over Middlesbrough at the weekend, Bournemouth took a huge step towards securing their Premier League status for another season as they now sit seven points above the relegation zone with four games to play.
Provided that they do indeed achieve safety, it should give Howe a little more flexibility in the transfer market to go out and really strengthen his squad.
From Chelsea’s perspective, if they do decide to sell then they would be losing key depth in pivotal positions. However, with speculation suggesting that Antonio Conte will have money to spend this summer, particularly given that they will need to strengthen ahead of their return to the Champions League, then perhaps he’ll see that as money he can reinvest in the squad on top quality players.