Nathan Ake is one of two Manchester City players Chelsea want to sign along with Raheem Sterling; the Sterling deal is close to being finalised while Ake is understood to be less advanced at this stage;
Friday 8 July 2022 16:49, UK
Chelsea have held talks with Manchester City over a deal to re-sign their former academy player Nathan Ake.
Ake is one of two City players Chelsea want to sign along with Raheem Sterling.
The Sterling deal is close to being finalised, but Ake's move is understood to be less advanced at this stage.
Chelsea are in need of defenders after Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger left this summer. The Blues showed interest in Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, but Sky Germany are reporting the defender wants a switch to Bayern Munich this summer with the club planning to make their first official offer in the coming days.
Ake, 27, left Chelsea for Bournemouth in 2017 after an initial loan spell before a £40m move to City two years ago.
The Netherlands centre-back saw his game time limited at the Etihad, playing in just 14 Premier League games for Pep Guardiola's side last season.
Raheem Sterling has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and confirmation of his move from Manchester City is now imminent.
The England international headed a shortlist of Thomas Tuchel's attacking targets and had entered the final year of his contract with City, who are grateful for his service and will not obstruct his desire for greater minutes and status elsewhere.
Pep Guardiola has repeatedly stated "I don't like to keep players that are unhappy" and was open to allowing Sterling's exit this summer, even to a Premier League rival, on condition that an acceptable bid in the region of £50m is tabled.
Tuchel was desperate to add a decisive edge in the final third to cure Chelsea's goalscoring issues and new Blues owner Todd Boehly had been in touch with City to discuss figures and the structure of a deal.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson:
"Sterling would be a great signing. I would worry about Man City selling Sterling as you're selling a lot of goals.
"People always go to me, 'He's always at the far post tapping them in'. He's not pushing anybody out the way to tap those goals in. There's an art to what he does and he will be a massive miss to Man City next season if he leaves.
"If Chelsea went and got him, I think that would be a major signing, especially when you're getting a top-quality international footballer who is at one of the top teams in the world."
In an exclusive interview, Danny Drinkwater expresses his relief now his Chelsea nightmare is finally over as he looks to get his career back on track.
The 32-year-old, who was a key figure in Leicester City's title-winning side during the 2015/16 season, moved to Chelsea in 2017 for £35m, signing a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
However, the move did not work out for Drinkwater, who was left on the sidelines for much of his time at Chelsea and saw his career stall, making just 23 appearances for the club, scoring just a single goal.
Who will be on the move this summer before the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
