Manchester City are “close” to agreeing a deal for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, according to the Guardian.
The Citizens have moved quickly to strengthen their centre-back options after a season blighted by poor defensive displays, with the Dutchman now poised to make the switch to the Etihad for £35m.
Supporters on Twitter had a mostly positive reaction to the news:
Solid signing.
— MCFC_OK (@MortimerCTID) July 20, 2020
Honestly this deal ain’t too bad. We cannot expect 2 new CBs and a new left back. I think Pep sees Ake as a backup for Mendy and Laporte. He is fast and really good at clearances. This most likely means John Stones is off and that is the best news yet. He is done.
— skyzenz (@skyzenz) July 20, 2020
Good squad player. Way better than Stones and Otamendi
— Thohoyandou ?? ?? (@AlbaMokopane) July 20, 2020
Always been his admirer. Let's see if it's another rumor or we actually end up signing him..
— Salman Ahsan (@salmanahsan2) July 20, 2020
He cost Bournemouth £20m. Slapping on an extra £15m for more experience and his homegrown aspect is really not much for us to worry about. We should get twenty for stones and a few million for Otamendi. Couch change then.
— Andrew Clayton (@AClayton78) July 21, 2020
The price is high after all his team is getting relegated
— kivumbi johnbosco junior (@kjbjunior) July 20, 2020
Only be a squad player mostly , play a lot more in less key games
— phil reid (@physcopearce) July 20, 2020
If its 35m its great business maybe we can move zinchenko into mf now like he should be
— Andy (@AndyDadofleo) July 20, 2020
It’s a great deal, think about it he’s taking the spot of otamendi or stones and is infinitely better than both of them and is homegrown, it’s common sense
— Tommy (@TCastling) July 20, 2020
The former Chelsea player has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge over the past year but, despite having a buyback option on the player, the Blues have opted against re-signing the 25-year-old.
Ake has also been mentioned as a potential target for Manchester United but it looks like he will be wearing the colours of City next season if the move is finalised.
It is not thought that the Netherlands international will be the only new centre-back arriving this summer, with the likes of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Leicester’s Caglar Soyuncu and Benfica’s Ruben Dias also being considered as potential targets.