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.
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Despite his infrequent starts for the club, Guardiola has made clear that Ake's versatility has been crucial since securing the former Reading and Watford loanee. His ability to play three positions - the centre of defence, left back and the centre of midfield - proved persuasive to the Spanish coach in 2020, and will no doubt be appealing to Chelsea.
Guardiola noted that Ake was a 'joy' following a win against Burnley last season, but conceded there was a limitation to what he offered too. He said: “Nathan is an alternative (at left-back). He is not a left-back to do overlaps…he is not just this type of guy.
“But he is so focused, so concentrated. He is an intelligent guy and on Saturday our build-up was with three at the back with Aymer [Laporte] more in the centre and John more on the right. It suited us perfectly.
“Against a team like Burnley, they are strong in the air and at set pieces and corners and it helped to have a player Nathan alongside John, Aymer and Rodri then Ferna in the last few minutes. He’s a joy to have him - Nathan is a great guy. He always trains well and is loved by the team. This type of person when I can give them minutes, I am really pleased for them.”
Guardiola has not been afraid to make the latter point regularly. With the departure of a leader like Rudiger, having a player who could immediately settle into a dressing room and help set standards will not go amiss at Cobham. It's clear he impresses beyond the pitch. As recently as April, in a period where Ake proved crucial in matches against Atletico Madrid, Guardiola reinforced his point.
The former Barcelona boss said: "He is so reliable. Especially when you behave in your life like he does, always you will play good. In the bad phases he is always helping. When he doesn’t get the minutes he deserves and then gets the minutes, he's thinking about the other ones and has done well. He is an exceptional person. His mother and father who passed away should be so proud. The older I get, the more aware of this kind of behaviour I am. Your life is better when you behave like this.”
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