Manchester City are reportedly set to sign Netherlands international Nathan Ake after agreeing a £41 million fee with Bournemouth.
According to a report from The Guardian, Manchester City are set to complete the signing of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in a £40 million deal, that could rise to £41 million with add-ons.
The 25-year-old Ake has been one of the most consistent performers for Bournemouth since making the switch from Chelsea back in 2017. And while the Cherries ended up getting relegated from the top flight in 2019/20, the Netherlands international emerged with a lot of credit in what was a gloomy campaign for the club.
Having dropped down to the second-tier, Bournemouth were always looking at losing some of their star players this transfer window. And it seems like Ake could be the first one on his way out, with more likely to follow suit.
Manchester City, who lost out to Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title, were in the market for defensive reinforcements. The failure to replace former captain and club legend Vincent Kompany last summer backfired for Pep Guardiola & co., with the likes of Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones struggling to perform.
Throw in Aymeric Laporte’s long-term injury problems and Manchester City were found vulnerable at the back for a majority of the campaign. While Eric Garcia has done well in the opportunities afforded to him by Guardiola, he lacks the experience to man the back-line week in week out for a team that will be competing for multiple honours.
In addition, with question marks surrounding the future of Stones, it was imperative that Manchester City go out and recruit a new centre-back before the new season begun. And it seems like they have gone out and done just that, having agreed a transfer fee with Bournemouth for Ake.
The 25-year-old is currently away on a holiday in the off-season break, but is expected to complete a medical within a few days before completing the transfer, in what will be a club-record sale for the Cherries.
This is the second high-profile transfer that Manchester City are about to complete since the Premier League campaign finished. The Cityzens have an agreement in place with La Liga side Valencia over the transfer of winger Ferran Torres, with the Spaniard set to cost them an initial £24.5 million.
