AC Milan’s interest in signing Nathan Ake from Manchester City is now being confirmed by sources from his home country.
Milan will need to reinforce their defensive department next season ahead of a return to playing in a European competition, especially if Massimiliano Allegri chooses to stick with a system that requires three central defenders.
Ake on the radar
According to Voetbal International (via MilanVibes), Nathan Aké is in the Rossoneri’s sights for the summer. The Dutch newspaper reports that the defender will leave Manchester City this summer and that he is attracting strong interest from top Serie A clubs.
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The former Bournemouth and Chelsea player still wants to play in a top-level league and, apparently, Italy represents an excellent opportunity. Milan are not the only club that have got word of the potential opportunity though.
The paper states: “Aké is attracting concrete interest from Juventus and Roma. However, both clubs must first secure qualification for European competitions.
“The same goes for AC Milan, who were already close to signing the defender this winter. However, due to a series of injuries at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola blocked the deal.”
Having made 29 appearances this season for Manchester City, including 15 in the Premier League and five in the Champions League, Ake is ready for a new adventure. The Dutch centre-back’s contract expires in 2027 and he turned 31 on February 18th.
Now on the fringes of the project (1,445 minutes this season in all competitions), the biggest obstacle is his salary of over £8m per year, which is expected to be significantly reduced if he were to land in Italy.