There have been no shortage of defenders linked to Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel looks to rebuild his backline following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The Blues have held discussions over the likes of Jules Kounde and Matthijs de Ligt but now have made their proposal to land Manchester City defender Nathan Ake.
There has been some consternation about the Blues' approach for Ake, who has not been a regular starter for Pep Guardiola's side in his two years at the Etihad Stadium. The Citizens signed the Dutch defender for £41 million from Bournemouth, at a time when Chelsea had first refusal to bring the 27-year-old back to Stamford Bridge.
While Ake made just 14 Premier League appearances last season, the division's champions are not set to contemplate his departure unless they have a replacement lined up. Chelsea might have hoped for Ake to be a cheaper alternative to their other targets, with the added benefit of Premier League experience but he ultimately proves difficult to prise away from the north west quickly, with a £50million fee suggested as the cost for Guardiola's side to consider doing business.
