Manchester City Interested In TWO La Liga Centre-Backs As Nathan Ake Replacement Hunt Begins

After Raheem Sterling was officially unveiled as a Chelsea player on Wednesday, it seems as though Thomas Tuchel’s side will be aiming to complete a move for Nathan Ake in the coming days.

Alongside the likes of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe, the West London club wish to add the Dutchman to a new-look defence at Stamford Bridge.

With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger joining Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, the club find themselves in the midst of a defensive crisis.

This is precisely why the two-time Champions League winners are targeting the addition of an experienced centre-back such as Nathan Ake.

With the 27-year old being largely a utility man for Manchester City, it has been widely reported that he fancies a return to Stamford Bridge in a bid for increased game time.

Nathan Ake is close to sealing a move to Chelsea. (Alamy)

However, this would leave the Sky Blues with only three senior centre-backs at their disposal.

While Ruben Dias, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are right up there amongst the Premier League’s best defenders, Manchester City are expected to partake in excess of 50 games next term, as they compete on all four fronts.

As a result, it is understood that Pep Guardiola is eyeing a replacement for the Chelsea-bound Ake, instead of entrusting a largely unproven prospect such as Luke Mbete in the upcoming campaign.

Unsurprisingly, a fresh update has revealed that the Premier League champions are keeping tabs on two of Europe’s most coveted centre-halves.

As per a report by Graeme Bailey of 90Min, Manchester City are interested in signing Pau Torres from Villarreal.

Pau Torres in Champions League action for Villarreal. Marco Canoniero / Alamy

However, it is highlighted that City face competition from Juventus to finalise a deal for the Spanish international.

Pep Guardiola is also described as being an admirer of his fellow countryman.

Another name linked with a switch to the Etihad Stadium is Jules Kounde, with the Daily Mail reporting that the club are ‘monitoring developments’ around his future.

Further details suggest that Manchester City are ‘ready’ to enter the fray to sign the 23-year old.

Jules Olivier Kounde of Sevilla FC during La Liga match between Villarreal CF vs Sevilla FC. (Alamy)

However, Barcelona are frontrunners in the race to sign him, with the club planning to offer Memphis Depay in exchange to get a deal over the line.

In a further report, interest from Manchester City in Kounde and Torres has also been highlighted by Rodrigo Faez and Rob Dawson of ESPN.

On the Pau Torres front, it was recently revealed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano that Manchester City had made ‘no contacts’ about his potential availability.

As for Kounde, City’s interest stretches back to the summer of 2020, when the Frenchman was one of their primary defensive targets before Ruben Dias’ eventual arrival.

While both potential transfers are worth keeping an eye out for, it is expected that the club will wrap up a deal to sign a replacement for the outgoing Nathan Ake, sooner rather than later.