In a surprise move, Fenerbahçe have agreed to a deal to sign Nathan Aké from Manchester City.
The Dutch international has been with the club for six years and will now be heading to Turkey on a permanent move for a £7 million fee with an additional £1.5 million included in add-ons, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. Aké has already agreed to personal terms and will join the team immediately following his team's exit from the FIFA World Cup after losing on penalties to Morocco.
Aké has accomplished just about everything he possibly could in Manchester, with 12 major trophies during his time at the club. This includes four Premier League titles, one Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup champion, two FA Cups, and two EFL Cups.
He was a key defender for years under Pep Guardiola, playing in 177 games for Man City, and scoring 10 goals in the Manchester blue. Aké's impact goes well beyond goalscoring; he was as reliable of a centre-back option as you could ask for. He was willing to start games or come off the bench and fight for the badge, whether he played 1 minute or 90.
Though Aké is getting older, at 31 years old, he is still very capable of being a big player week in and week out. Manchester City clearly feels comfortable with the depth they have at the center-back position with players like Rúben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and a young player who impressed for Uzbekistan at the World Cup, Abdukodir Khusanov.
This will be the third centre-back Manchester City have lost this summer, with John Stones and Manuel Akanji leaving on free transfers. Now Aké will also leave going to Fenerbahçe, and he will be in Turkey to complete the move in the coming days.
Losing Nathan Aké will leave a hole in the Manchester City defence.
Nathan Aké will leave behind a big hole in Manchester City's squad because of the versatility he offered to the Man City backline. The Dutch international played primarily at center back but also had the ability to be moved out to the left, and also played as a fullback.
Guardiola brought Aké to the Etihad, but there’s a new man in charge, Enzo Maresca. We’ve already seen him make a club record transfer for midfielder Elliot Anderson, and he clearly wants to make this team his own, focusing on bringing in players that fit the vision he has and letting the other players go on free or through transfers.
Maresca will move on with the players he currently has and potentially look into other options this transfer window as things will likely heat up for a lot of clubs looking to spend money during this window after impressive performances seen at the World Cup.
A lot of changes are coming to Manchester City as a new era is here. Guardiola and several of his long-time players he brought to the club are leaving as legends to wear the Manchester blue. Despite these losses, fans should be excited about Maresca and Anderson, with more new faces still to come before next season.
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