Manchester City and Chelsea are keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez, according to ESPN.

It is not known whether the impending arrival of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth will affect City’s pursuit of the Uruguayan but manager Pep Guardiola is said to be a big fan of the 25-year-old’s ability.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have scouted Gimenez on a number of occasions but they are not currently in a position to sign the defender, with four senior centre-backs currently on their books.

With Atletico unlikely to sell for below his €120m (£108m) release clause, Frank Lampard’s side would have to offload some players before they could fund a move for the centre-back.

That would leave City in pole position for Gimenez, although it could still be a tough task to sign the centre-half, considering both his price tag and manager Diego Simeone’s reluctance to let go of the player.

At this moment in time, it does seem unlikely that the Uruguayan international will follow Ake through the doors at the Etihad.