Chelsea Look To Secure Second Manchester City Signing THIS WEEK

Since Todd Boehly took over at Chelsea, the American businessman has seemingly been on a mission to prise away some of Manchester City’s biggest assets from the club.

The start of the Boehly era coincided with the West Londoners’ intense pursuit of Raheem Sterling, who very quickly emerged as the side’s prime attacking target.

It was also recently revealed that Thomas Tuchel’s side were eyeing a move for Aymeric Laporte, who has since gone on record to express his desire to stay at Manchester City.

With Marcos Alonso intending on joining Barcelona this summer, rumblings about a swoop for Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back have also been heard.

However, one rumour that refuses to go away is Chelsea’s interest in signing Nathan Ake ahead of next season.

As the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have joined Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the two-time Champions League winners find themselves in somewhat of a defensive crisis.

While Thomas Tuchel’s side have been linked with a whole host of centre-halves, their intention to sign Manchester City's Dutchman seems a lot more than just speculation.

Considering the 27 year-old sits fourth in the defensive pecking order behind Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, the prospect of becoming a regular starter at Stamford Bridge is understood to have tempted him.

Despite a number of reports suggesting that the switch was close to completion, the former Bournemouth star was pictured joining the Sky Blues’ first training session ahead of pre-season on Monday.

However, a new update has emerged that discusses the status of the transfer.

While Chelsea have been extensively linked with the potential signing of Kalidou Koulibaly, Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard has reported that the move is not set to affect their pursuit of Nathan Ake.

It has further been suggested that Pep Guardiola’s side value the Dutch international at £45 million, as Thomas Tuchel’s side are aiming to finalise his addition this week.

Ake, who joined the Sky Blues in 2020, emerged as one of the side’s most pivotal squad members after an injury-riddled debut campaign.

Deputising at both centre-back and left-back, the two-time Premier League champion’s versatility was worth its weight in gold last season.

As a result, it comes as no surprise that Pep Guardiola is keen on a replacement for the Chelsea-bound defender, instead of entrusting the inexperienced Luke Mbete immediately.

Manchester City could end up either recouping or profiting off their initial investment on Nathan Ake, with a new defensive reinforcement expected to join the club.