Pep enters £40m Ake race
Manchester City have reportedly entered the race for Bournemouth star Nathan Ake, who has also attracted the attention of Manchester United.
The Spanish coach is weighing up the idea of splashing out £40m on Bournemouth ace Ake after an impressive number of displays from the Dutchman.
He joined the Cherries in the summer of 2017 from Chelsea for club-record fee after initially impressing on loan.
And last year he won the Player of the Year award at the club and has started this season where he left off.
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The youngster has been commended for his composure on the ball and his defensive positioning and has been a major component in Eddie Howe’s back-four.
Bournemouth have been one of the surprise packages of the season and find themselves sixth in the Premier League.
Guardiola looked at the 23-year-old in the summer and is said to be impressed with his versatility.
As well as centre-back, Ake can play at left-back and defensive midfield – and would also boost the club’s home-grown quote after graduating from Chelsea’s youth academy.
It would be a major spanner in the works for United, though, who have listed the Holland international as one of their own targets.
Jose Mourinho has made a new centre-back a priority as he looks to bolster his defence.
The Red Devils have managed just one clean sheet all season in the Premier League.
Ake recently admitted he was aware of talk suggesting Spurs and United were interested in a January deal.
But he said: “At the moment I play at Bournemouth and that is going very well, so I focus on that.”