Nathan Ake has found it tough to hit the ground running since his £41 million switch to Manchester City last summer from FC Bournemouth. The Dutchman has found it difficult to break into Pep Guardiola’s XI on a consistent basis with the likes of John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Aymeric Laporte ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ake, 26, has been getting opportunities off-late though. The former Bournemouth man was a part of the XI that took on Brentford, Arsenal, and most recently, Swindon Town. The defender played as a full-back against Brentford and Arsenal and was slotted in his natural position in the center of the backline against Swindon.
As per MEN (h/t Sky Sports Italia), Ake’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed with AC Milan said to be interested in signing the 26-year-old on loan, this month. AC Milan are said to be one of the European clubs interested in signing the youngster.
However, Pep Guardiola is unlikely to let Ake leave with COVID-19 spreading like wildfire in the Premier League. Moreover, player rotation will be the key in the second half of the season where the main focus of the reigning Premier League champions would be in the UEFA Champions League.
Ake looks set to play a key role in the coming months and his recent displays do not suggest otherwise as well. Having said that, Pep Guardiola is said to have received an assurance from the City board that there will be no more departures from his squad this month.
Manchester City started the winter window by selling Ferran Torres to FC Barcelona for a reported fee of €55 million.
The Cityzens are tipped to go all-out for Erling Haaland next summer and are said to have a series of meetings planned with the player’s representatives to discuss the Norweigan talent’s potential future at the Etihad.