Nathan Ake's move from Manchester City to Chelsea is off, according to reports.
Manager Thomas Tuchel was hoping to re-sign the Netherlands international, 27, to bolster his defensive options. The Blues have said goodbye to two centre-backs this summer in Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and need to bring in reinforcements.
It's believed Chelsea have identified Sevilla's Jules Kounde, 23, and Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe, 26, as backup options for Ake - who came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and spent six years at the club - and Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 31. The latter deal is still expected to go ahead as planned.
According to The Athletic, Man City are unwilling to sell Ake to Chelsea because their valuation of the player hasn't been met. It's claimed the defender is happy to stay at the Etihad as he is viewed as a popular and versatile member of Pep Guardiola's squad.
The same publication also claim Chelsea have already opened talks with Kimpembe over a possible transfer, with PSG adopting a similar stance to Man City that their own valuation must be met. The Independent claim that figure is in the region of €50m (£42m) plus €10m (£8.5m) in bonuses.
Ake joined Man City from Bournemouth in a £41million deal two years ago but has struggled to nail down a place at the Etihad, making just 24 Premier League appearances to date. He's won two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup under Guardiola. Ake played just 17 senior games during his first spell at Chelsea, joining Bournemouth in June 2017.
The Dutchman is a centre-back by trade but can be deployed as a left-back, something Guardiola appreciates. The Man City boss currently has just two senior left-backs at his disposal - Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo - and it's questionable whether both players would be stronger in different positions.
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It's also unclear whether Zinchenko will still be at the Etihad come September. The Ukraine international, 25, has been linked with several Premier League clubs - including Arsenal - and may fancy a transfer to get more minutes under his belt.
Ethan Ampadu, meanwhile, is hoping to impress Tuchel in pre-season and become a regular for the Blues following the departures of Rudiger and Christensen. The Wales international, 21, is known for his versatility but is best deployed at centre-back. He's spent the last three seasons on loan at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United and Venezia.
Chelsea are currently on their pre-season tour of the US and have fixtures against Club America, Charlotte and Arsenal on the horizon. Their final friendly is against Udinese in Italy on July 29 before the new Premier League season gets underway in August.
"It’s great here," Ampadu told Chelsea's website. "The weather is so good, the facilities are lovely and it’s certainly not a bad place to start pre-season. "The campus where we are playing is pretty impressive and hopefully this is the start of a good two weeks for us as a group.
"Every season is a big season but I’d like to take some of the momentum from last year into this pre-season. Everybody just wants to be on the pitch and thankfully I feel comfortable playing in more than one position. Hopefully I can get onto the pitch this season for Chelsea and help out the side.
"Wherever Thomas needs me, I’d be happy to play there. I’m more than comfortable playing, whether that’s at centre-back, in midfield or at right wing-back."
