According to the Sun, Manchester United and Chelsea remain interested in making a swoop for Nathan Ake, despite reports that the centre-back is close to sealing a move to Manchester City.
All three of the aforementioned sides are in need of bolstering their defensive ranks, City’s current backline is clearly unable to compete with Liverpool, Chelsea have conceded the most goals of any side in the top 10, whilst United need a much more reliable option to partner marquee man Harry Maguire.
MORE: Kai Havertz will tell Bayer Leverkusen to sell him to Chelsea in key transfer meeting tomorrow
The Guardian reported on Monday that the Citizens are close to agreeing a deal with Bournemouth for the Dutchman for a fee in the region of £35m.
The Guardian reiterate that the Cherries have accepted that the 25-year-old will depart once the season ends, Ake has established himself as a quality player since joining the South Coast outfit permanently.
As per the Sun’s report, Chelsea still hold a buy-back option on the defender, the ace would also be a more cost-effective option than one of their targets in Declan Rice.
United’s interest in Ake is hardly a well kept secret, with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talking up a transfer to Old Trafford when the Red Devils beat Bournemouth a few weeks ago.
Ake is a particularly attractive option to top clubs due to the fact that he holds homegrown status after spending his younger years at Chelsea.
Ake has made 146 top-flight appearances in his career so far, chipping in with 12 goals and six assists, there aren’t many – if any – quality centre-backs that possess this kind of Premier League experience, that are available for transfer.