There is still some surprise that Chelsea seem determined to re-sign defender Nathan Ake five years after he was sold to Bournemouth and deemed not good enough. For a player who has struggled to become anything more than a rotational option for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the defensive reinforcements Thomas Tuchel needs were suspected to be of a higher calibre.
Ake is a competent and experienced Premier League defender but probably little more, particularly with the Blues looking to replace the hole left by Antonio Rudiger who became a big presence for Tuchel in the final year of his contract.
Our colleagues at the Manchester Evening News are reporting that City will not allow Ake to leave the club unless they have a replacement lined up. Chelsea will need to pay at least £50million for City to even consider allowing Ake to leave. Chelsea have made a proposal to for Ake, a source has told football.london.
