Manchester City have told defender Nathan Ake that he can leave the club this summer with West Ham said to be interested in acquiring the 27-year-old’s services.
This is according to The Times, who reports that Man City have told Ake that he can leave this summer, two years after joining the club during the summer of 2020.
One club said to be interested in the City defender is West Ham, who are in the market for a centre-back this summer having relied heavily on Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma throughout this season.
The Times claimed back in April that Ake was on West Ham’s radar ahead of the upcoming window, whilst Eurosport reported in January that the Dutchman would be interested in a move to the Hammers should they make a push to sign him.
Ake is still an important player in the City squad due to his ability to play both centre-back and left-back but it is reported that Pep Guardiola understands that the 27-year-old may want more first-team action.
The problem for West Ham in this deal could be the fee required to sign the Dutchman. Man City paid £41million to sign Ake from Bournemouth back in the summer of 2020 reported the Independent and the Manchester club may seek that money back with the defender’s contract not due to expire until 2025.
The Irons might not be able to afford that along with other signings this summer and therefore, this is a deal that hangs in the balance.