Bournemouth are prepared to splurge £30 million on Chelsea’s Nathan Ake and Asmir Begovic
According to Dominic Fifield of the Guardian, Premier League side Bournemouth are preparing a double raid on title-winning side Chelsea, hoping to lure Nathan Ake and Asmir Begovic to the Vitality Stadium in the summer.
The Cherries are preparing an audacious £30 million swoop to lure away two fringe players of Chelsea’s title-winning squad as they look to begin their third straight season in the English top-flight on a promising note.
Manager Eddie Howe has done wonders for the south coast outfit, and is expected to stay on, despite reports linking him to the Arsenal job come the end of 2017. He is also on course for guiding them to their highest ever league finish this season.
To solidify his defence, Howe is keen on roping in Ake and tying him down to a permanent deal at the Vitality stadium. The Dutchman spent most of the season on loan at Bournemouth, but was recalled by Antonio Conte, who saw him as an understudy to Marcos Alonso.
As expected, Ake did not feature in Conte’s first-team plans, but the Italian decided to give the defender a run in against Watford at Stamford Bridge as the title was already sealed by the Blues – courtesy of a 1-0 win against West Brom.
The 22-year-old is regarded as one for the future at Stamford Bridge, and the Chelsea board are reportedly reluctant to let go of him. However, with him unlikely to play regular first-team football for at least the next two seasons, he may want to consider a move away from the club.
The same can be said about Asmir Begovic who is being heavily targeted by the lesser Premier League clubs. West Ham and Sunderland have been linked with the player in the past, but Bournemouth are understood to be in pole position to sign the player.
The Bosnia international keeper has told Antonio Conte that he feels his time at the club is up and that he will be looking to move away from Stamford Bridge with a bid to re-establish his career and play regular first team football.
Even the Italian manager has claimed that the club are considering to let go of the custodian, and that the door is always open for him to leave Stamford Bridge. However, Conte will be looking for an adequate sum of money before parting ways with the player.
